'I'm a lifelong San Diego sports fan, and that puts me in some great company.'
San Diego State University has hired Kevin Vance as its new head baseball coach with hopes of elevating the program to national prominence. Vance, a Torrey Pines High School alum, returns to San Diego after helping the Arizona Wildcats reach the College World Series as their pitching coach.
Tony Gwynn Stadium is considered one of the finest baseball facilities in the country, but has never hosted an NCAA tournament regional. Vance aims to change that, calling the Aztecs 'a sleeping giant' in the world of college baseball.SDSU Athletic Director J.D. Wicker brought in several baseball luminaries to assist with the coaching search.'We had alums that participated. Stephen Strasburg, Bud Black, Tony Gwynn, Jr. and others. We had a great group of last three or four that I got to talk to, and Kevin really stood out,' Wicker said.For Vance, who played college baseball at UConn and pitched in the minor leagues before starting his coaching career, this opportunity represents a lifelong ambition.'It's something I've been thinking about, for honestly my whole life. And I mean that. Right away, it was a no-brainer, and I was hoping I would get a call,' Vance said.The new coach faces significant challenges. The Aztecs are coming off two of the worst seasons in program history, but both Vance and Wicker believe a turnaround is possible.'We've had pockets of being very good, and we've had pockets where we haven't been good for a while, so our goal is to create some consistency,' Wicker said.Vance sees opportunity in college baseball's current landscape. 'Things are going fast in college now. The portal is insane. There are a lot of players there now, so I think it's something you can turn around pretty quickly,' he said.However, Vance believes the true path to success lies in recruiting locally.'I think there's a huge talent pool here that we can draw from. Get the best players from San Diego to come here, and get 'em better,' he said.With this strategy in place, Vance is confident about the future: 'We're gonna win some ballgames.'This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
J.D. Wicker Kevin Vance San Diego State Baseball
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Vance looks to cultivate the pope as a new diplomatic partner for the U.S.Henry J. Gomez is a senior national political reporter for NBC News
Read more »
Vance tells Naval Academy graduates they are facing 'new' and 'very dangerous era' for USVice President JD Vance told graduates at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis that they are facing a 'new and very dangerous era for our country.'
Read more »
JD Vance knows better: Former DOJ prosecutor slams Vance’s attempt to stymie judicial reviewThis is additional taxonomy that helps us with analytics
Read more »
Shaun Cole out after two years as San Diego State’s baseball coachSDSU says it will conduct a national search will be conducted to find a new coach
Read more »
Kevin Hart’s new Netflix flick is looking for extras in New JerseyGrant Wilfley Casting is casting for luxury car owners and bottle service girls, among other roles, for the Philly-born comedian's feature film '72 Hours'
Read more »
San Diego State hiring Arizona pitching coach, Torrey Pines grad to run baseball programKevin Vance helped lead the Wildcats to this year’s College World Series
Read more »