FULLERTON, Calif. - Fifth-year Cal State Fullerton head baseball coach Rick Vanderhook signed a modified employment contract; it was announced by Athletic Director Jim Donovan today.
Vanderhook's new contract includes an increase in base pay as well as an increased bonus structure for him and his coaching staff. It also includes an automatic extension clause contingent on the Titans reaching the NCAA Super Regional round. Vanderhook signed a five-year contract extension in 2013 during his second season at the helm of the Titans.
"This is a great day for Titans baseball," Donovan said. "In his current tenure here, coach Vanderhook has done a remarkable job keeping our rich baseball tradition intact. He's led the team to the postseason every year he's been here and helped lead the program back where it belongs with a trip to Omaha last year. Our program is headed in the right direction and there is no better coach to lead this program."
The Titans are coming off their 17th trip to the NCAA College World Series in 2015 and first since 2009, snapping the longest CWS drought in Fullerton history. It was the 41st consecutive winning season and 30-win season in the program's NCAA Division I history. Fullerton advanced to its 24th consecutive NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 37th overall in 41 years of existence.
"It's a privilege to be the head coach here at Cal State Fullerton," Vanderhook said. "We have a proud tradition of great baseball here at Fullerton and I'm thrilled to continue to be a part of it. Our coaching staff and players know what it means to be a Titan; to work hard and play hard-nosed baseball to continue the winning tradition of Cal State Fullerton baseball. I would like to extend my thanks to Jim Donovan, Vice President Eanes and President Garcia for their continued support."
Vanderhook earned his third Big West Conference Coach of the Year award in four seasons for the Titans 2015 season. He was also named the American Baseball Coaches Association West Region Coach of the Year.
"We are incredibly excited to have coach Vanderhook continue to lead the baseball program," said Berenecea Johnson Eanes, Vice President for Student Affairs. "Getting the chance to watch the team in Omaha this past season in person, we are thrilled with the continued excellence of the baseball team and cannot wait to watch the program continue to succeed under the leadership of coach Vanderhook."
There have been 18 Titans selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft in Vanderhook's four seasons at Fullerton, including six more in 2015. He has also coached 16 All-Americans and eight Big West Conference Player of the Year honorees, including the co-Field Player of the Year (David Olmedo-Barrera) and Pitcher of the Year (Thomas Eshelman) in 2015.
Vanderhook also led the Titans to a 51-10 record in 2013, the second best winning percentage (.836) in program history, trailing only the national championship squad from 1995 (57-9, .864). The 51 wins were also the fourth most in program history.
In four years, Vanderhook has compiled a 160-80 (.667) record and led the Titans to three conference titles, two Super Regionals appearances and one College World Series appearance. He reached 100 head coaching victories on March 23, 2014 against Long Beach State at Goodwin Field, becoming the second fastest coach in Titans history to reach the mark, doing so in 139 games, four more than Titans legendary coach Augie Garrido.
On June 24, 2011, Vanderhook was announced as the program's fifth Division I head coach. He will enter his 26th season with the Titan baseball program in 2015 after surpassing Garrido as the longest-serving baseball coach in school history.
Prior to being named the head coach at Cal State Fullerton, in 24 seasons as a Division I assistant coach (21 at Fullerton), Vanderhook accumulated a total of 12 conference championships, 20 postseason appearances, eight Super Regionals appearances, 11 trips to the College World Series and two national championships.
Vanderhook spent the better part of a quarter century under head coaches Garrido, Larry Cochell and George Horton.
He began his coaching career as an assistant to Garrido from 1985-87, serving as the bullpen coach for the first two years before stepping into the third base coaching box and working with the hitters and defense in 1987. He remained on staff in 1988 under Cochell but then spent two seasons (1989-1990) as an assistant to former Fullerton assistant coach Bill Kernen at Cal State Northridge. Vanderhook returned to Cal State Fullerton with Garrido in 1991 and remained through the 2007 season.
Vanderhook then spent three seasons (2009-11) as an assistant coach to John Savage at UCLA, where he helped lead the Bruins to a conference title, a pair of postseason appearances and a runner-up finish at the 2010 College World Series.
A product of the prominent Cerritos College program where he played for Horton, Vanderhook originally came to the Titans in 1983 when he took a redshirt season. He was a member of the Titans' 1984 national championship team, earning his first of three Cal State Fullerton championship rings.
