Dave Hart decides to retain Dave Serrano as Tennessee's baseball coach

New Tennessee baseball head coach Dave Serrano, right,  is introduced to the media by interim athletic director Joan Cronan during a news conference on Thursday in Knoxville. The former Cal State Fullerton head coach was an assistant at Tennessee from 1995-96.
New Tennessee baseball head coach Dave Serrano, right, is introduced to the media by interim athletic director Joan Cronan during a news conference on Thursday in Knoxville. The former Cal State Fullerton head coach was an assistant at Tennessee from 1995-96.

KNOXVILLE -- Dave Serrano will get at least one more chance to get Tennessee's struggling baseball program back on track.

Athletic director Dave Hart on Thursday announced that Serrano, who was in the final year of his original five-year contract, would return as the head coach of the Volunteers with a one-year extension.

"Very simply stated, I still believe in Dave Serrano," Hart said. "I still think there is hope for us to turn the corner with our baseball program. This struggle is not confined to the Dave Serrano era, as you know full well. We have struggled to get baseball to where we all want it for many years."

Serrano understandably was grateful for another opportunity and admitted he got emotional when Hart told him Thursday morning he would be back.

"We haven't won enough that satisfies me, for sure," he said, "but the direction that I'm trying to take this program and how I'm trying to lead these young men -- the winning is going to happen. I'm very confident about that."

Serrano was one of the most accomplished coaches Tennessee hired in any sport when he took the job in 2011.

In seven seasons at California-Irvine and Cal State-Fullerton, Serrano made the College World Series twice, reached six NCAA regionals and won more than 67 percent of his games.

His style has not translated to the unforgiving Southeastern Conference, though, and Serrano is just 130-138 overall and 48-99 in league play with only three SEC tournament appearances -- and no wins -- in five seasons at Tennessee.

"This is a special place for me," Serrano said. "I can admit that to this point I haven't succeeded, but I just ask for patience from people. I think it's very close."

Serrano's records aren't far away from what predecessor Todd Raleigh, who was 108-113 overall and 42-78 in the SEC with zero conference tournament appearances, accomplished in four seasons in Knoxville.

"There are no two rebuilding jobs that are identical in nature. There just aren't," Hart said. "You can't compare them sport to sport. How much time is enough time is always a fair question.

"Is five years enough time? That's a fair question. But you have to assess what your eyes see and what you know is taking place. These are tough decisions to make, but I am fully supportive of Dave Serrano."

Hart spoke with Serrano prior to the final regular-season series at Georgia and made his decision earlier this week before Tennessee's come-from-ahead SEC tournament loss against LSU on Tuesday night.

He said he never saw Serrano "cut corners" or the team quit despite another frustrating season.

"Those are signs that the hope might be gone," Hart said, "but those signs never reared their heads."

Serrano's successful track record and his value off the field, particularly the program's academic improvement, worked in his favor as Hart evaluated whether or not to keep him.

"All coaches know there comes a time when you have to produce in the field of competition," Hart said. "You have to recruit better. You have to coach better. You have to assess better. All those things are true of any sport and any coach.

"Based on where we were as a program, are we disappointed after five years? We are. ... You have to assess it based on knowledge and facts and not on public opinion."

Serrano stated bluntly that he needs to recruit better players, but the lack of stability a multi-year deal would have afforded the program may make securing such talent a little tricky, though both Hart and Serrano downplayed that obstacle.

The goal for Tennessee's program is to reach the NCAA tournament -- the Vols haven't made a regional since 2005 -- and from there aim for Omaha and the College World Series.

Serrano thought he'd have gotten the Vols to the postseason by now, but he'll get another year to try to get them there.

"I'm grateful for the one-year extension," Serrano said, "and I'm going to do everything I can to take advantage of that."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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