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."
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