Horton Named National Coach of the Year;
Angels, Padres Plan Salutes
June 30, 2004 – Fullerton, CA
Head Coach George Horton of Cal State Fullerton has been named National
Coach of the Year for 2004 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
It marks the first time Horton has been so honored by Collegiate Baseball.
He won the same honor last year from Baseball America when the
Titans placed third in the nation.
Horton led the Titans to their fourth national championship at the recent
College World Series. After starting the season with a 15-16 record, Horton
and his coaching staff of Dave Serrano, Rick Vanderhook and Chad Baum
helped turn the Titans around with 32 wins in their final 38 games. Even
more telling is that the team won 15 of 16 games against top 25 competition
to close the season. No one could have predicted that Fullerton would
have breezed to the Big West Conference championship with a 19-2 mark
after such a tough start to the season.
Horton has guided the Titans to six Big West Conference titles, eight
NCAA Regional appearances and four trips to the College World Series.
He is one of just nine men to have been to the CWS as a player and head
coach. As associate head coach at Fullerton from 1991-1996, he
helped lead the Titans to the 1995 College World Series championship and
a second-place finish in 1992 to Pepperdine.
Previous Collegiate Baseball National Coaches of The Year include:
. 2003: Wayne Graham, Rice
. 2002: Augie Garrido, Texas
. 2001: Jim Morris, Miami (Fla.)
. 2000: Skip Bertman, Louisiana St.
. 1999: Jim Morris, Miami (Fla.)
. 1998: Mike Gillespie, Southern Calif.
and Mike Batesole, Cal. St. Northridge
. 1997: Skip Bertman, Louisiana St.
. 1996: Skip Bertman, Louisiana St.,
and Andy Lopez, Florida
. 1995: Augie Garrido, Cal. St. Fullerton .
1994: Larry Cochell, Oklahoma .
1993: Skip Bertman, Louisiana St.
. 1992: Andy Lopez, Pepperdine
. 1991: Skip Bertman, Louisiana St.
. 1990: Steve Webber, Georgia
. 1989: Dave Snow, Long Beach St.
. 1988: Larry Cochell, Cal. St. Fullerton .
1987: Mark Marquess,Stanford .
1986: Jerry Kindall, Arizona .
1985: Ron Fraser, Miami (Fla.)
. 1984: Augie Garrido, Cal. St. Fullerton .
1983: Cliff Gustafson, Texas
. 1982: Ron Fraser, Miami (Fla.)
1981: Jim Brock, Arizona St.
. 1980: Jerry Kindall, Arizona
Angels to Honor Titans Team on Saturday Night
Cal State Fullerton's national champion 2004 baseball team will be saluted
Saturday night at Angel Stadium prior to the Angels-Dodgers game. Coach
George Horton and his staff and players will be introduced in a brief
ceremony. Among the more interested spectators will be Dodgers' coach
Tim Wallach, an All-American first baseman at Fullerton and the star of
the Titans' first national championship team in 1979. He played for both
the Angels and Dodgers and coached for the Titans as well.
Padres to Honor Coaching Staff on Tuesday Night
Cal State Fullerton's 2004 national champion baseball Coach George Horton
will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the San Diego vs. Houston
game on Tuesday night (July 6) at Petco Park in San Diego. Among the interested
spectators will be Padres' first baseman Phil Nevin and Astros' third
baseman/catcher Mike Lamb. Nevin was the Most Outstanding Player at the
1992 College World Series when the Titans finished second to Pepperdine.
Lamb was a key performer for the Titans' 1995 national championship team.
