September 7, 2007

UCI baseball coach goes to CSUF
Dave Serrano had said he wasn't interested in vacancy left when George Horton left for Oregon post.
By JANIS CARR
The Orange County Register

FULLERTON – UC Irvine baseball coach Dave Serrano, who just days ago said he wasn’t interested in the Cal State Fullerton vacancy, reversed his stance and accepted the job Thursday night.

He signed a four-year deal that brings him back to where he was an assistant for eight seasons and played, in 1985.

Serrano takes over for George Horton, who left last week to revive the baseball program at Oregon. He is expected to bring along Irvine assistant Sergio Brown.

Serrano did not immediately return phone calls.

Serrano’s hiring was kept quiet because of a groundswell of support for associate head coach Rick Vanderhook. Horton and Serrano both stated their desire to see the longtime assistant get the job.

Quinn, though, had other ideas and contacted Serrano the day Horton’s leaving became official.

“I always thought that if ever George left – and I never wanted to see that happen – but if he did, my goal was to have Dave Serrano as the next coach,” Quinn said today. “That was always my hope.

“I believe that the best person to keep what George had going here was Dave. I hate losing George and I don’t know if you can ever replace him, but I thought Dave would be the best person to bring in here.”

Horton said he figured out who the next coach was when Serrano didn’t return his calls.

“They selected a fabulous guy to lead these guys into the next challenge,” Horton said. “The only negative is my feelings toward Rick. It’s my hope that he stays here.”

Serrano added to his coaching resume by guiding the Anteaters to their first College World Series appearance, where they finished third with a 2-2 record. Irvine finished 47-17-1 overall, setting a school Division I record for single-season victories, and Serrano was named 2007 National Coach of the Year by Baseball America.

Irvine’s accomplishments in Omaha attracted interest from Oregon, who contacted Serrano about its job. But he eventually turned down the job, citing family issues. When Horton accepted the Ducks’ position, Serrano quickly dispelled speculation of his interest in the Fullerton job, saying, “I have no interest in leaving UC Irvine for Cal State Fullerton. I feel that we have something special building at UCI with the program moving in the right direction.”