IRVINE, Calif. — UC Irvine head baseball coach Mike Gillespie will retire at the end of the 2018 season and will be replaced by associate head coach Ben Orloff, UCI athletic director Mike Izzi announced today.
Gillespie, the winningest coach in UCI history who was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010, notified his players before practice today.
“I’ve often said, and sincerely meant it, that I was more than lucky 10 years ago to have been given the opportunity to work at this great University and become part of what was already a rich baseball tradition and history,” he said. “There have been highlight wins and impossible-to-forget heartbreakers, but what is most memorable to me are the great people I’ve met and many friends I’ve made at UCI. This includes not only our players, but also key administrators who found ways to say yes and help, other coaches and staff within our department, and most notably our baseball coaches. I’ve also been blessed by the quiet, yet never-ending support of critically important supporters of UCI baseball. The constant in my career has been the wonderful friends I’ve made.”
Gillespie has amassed 361 wins since joining UCI in 2008. His lifetime record on the Division I level is 1,124-696-2, ranking 35th historically and 10th among active head coaches.
“Coach Gillespie has worked to develop character in young people throughout his career and has impacted them in a positive way for decades,” UCI Director of Athletics Mike Izzi said. “He is well respected and has created an unbelievable legacy. I have had the incredible opportunity to watch Mike throughout my career in Athletics and see the incredible contributions he has made.”
Under Gillespie’s guidance, UC Irvine made five trips to the NCAA postseason, including a College World Series appearance in 2014, the year he was named National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Coach of the Year. He has been named Big West Conference Coach of the Year five times and West Region Coach of the Year on three occasions.
In his UCI tenure, two players have been named Big West Player of The Year, five Big West Pitcher of the Year honors and Big West Defensive Players of the Year twice. Anteater players have also won American Baseball Coaches Association Gold Glove Awards four times, eight players have garnered All-American distinction, while 39 student-athletes have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.
In 2009, Gillespie’s Anteaters were the consensus No. 1 team in the nation during much of the regular season and were awarded a No. 6 national seed in the NCAA postseason. The Anteaters won their first-ever Big West Conference title that season, winning the championship with a 22-2 mark in league play and posting the Big West’s second-highest win percentage at .916. The Anteaters were a perfect 12-0 at home in conference action, becoming the first team in Big West history to accomplish the feat and finished with an overall record of 45-15.
Gillespie is one of only two men (Arizona’s Jerry Kindall) to both play for and coach an NCAA-championship baseball team. He was the left-fielder for USC’s 1961 national-championship squad and coached the team to the program’s 12th title in 1998. He was at USC for 20 years, guiding the Trojans to 15 postseason appearances and four College World Series appearances (1995, 1998, 2000 and 2001). On the heels of the national championship in 1998, he was named National Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association.
“I am extremely gratified to know that Ben Orloff, our associate head coach, will become the next head coach,” Gillespie said. “Not only is Ben among UCI’s greatest players, but all who know him recognize his extraordinary baseball IQ, his relentless work ethic, and his leadership, personality, and sense of humor. This extraordinary person is the slam-dunk right choice for this job, and I am convinced that the future of Anteater baseball is golden. Now, let’s not forget our current team and get on with our 2018 season and try to win one in a row several times.”
Orloff, who is one of the most decorated players in program history, played for the Anteaters from 2006-09 and became UCI’s first Big West Player of the Year as a senior. The shortstop won the 2009 Brooks Wallace Award and was also the first Anteater player to win an American Baseball Coaches Association Gold Glove award. The three-time All-American was also named to two NCAA Tournament teams and helped UCI to four post-season berths.
This past December, Orloff was No. 8 on Baseball America’s list of assistant coaches with bright futures as head coaches.
“Becoming a head coach is a great opportunity and responsibility,” Orloff said. “UC Irvine is a very special place for me and my family. Ever since stepping foot on this campus in 2005, this has felt like home. I have great respect for the history of this program and all of the guys that have played here and done so much for UC Irvine. I’m excited to continue to be a member of this campus and athletic community and do everything we can to represent UC Irvine well.”
Orloff ended his collegiate career with a lifetime .320 batting average and is UCI’s all-time hit leader with 281 and owns the top mark in runs scored with 178. He leads all players with 241 games played and 877 at-bats. With 62 stolen bases, he is second in the UCI career annals. Orloff led the nation two consecutive years in sacrifice hits and holds the NCAA single-season mark of 34 set in 2007 and in a career with 86.
“Skip (Gillespie) is one of the best coaches in the history of the game of college baseball, Orloff continued. “I feel very lucky to have both played for and coached for him. I will never be able to thank him for the opportunities he has created for me. He has been a coach, mentor, and friend. The relationship we have developed over the last 10+ years is something I’ll always cherish and lean on.”
UC Irvine begins the 2018 season hosting a series with Nevada Friday-Sunday (Feb. 16-18) at Anteater Ballpark.
The Gillespie File (Full Bio)
2014 National Coach of the Year
2010 American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame
1998 National Coach of the Year
Five-time Conference Coach of the Year (1991, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2009)
Three-time West Region Coach of the Year (1996, 1998, 2014)
7 Conference Championships
19 NCAA Post-season appearances
10 Super Regional appearances
Gillespie Coaching Record
Year School Record Conf./ Finish Postseason
2017 UC Irvine 23-33 (.411) 9-15/7th
2016 UC Irvine 31-25 (.554) 11-13/T7th
2015 UC Irvine 33-23 (.589) 15-9/3rd
2014 UC Irvine 41-25 (.621) 15-9/3rd College World Series
2013 UC Irvine 33-22 (.600) 15-12/T-4th
2012 UC Irvine 31-25 (.554) 13-11/4th
2011 UC Irvine 43-18 (.705) 16-8/2nd Super Regional
2010 UC Irvine 39-21 (.700) 17-7/2nd Regional
2009 UC Irvine 45-15 (.750) 22-2/1st Regional
2008 UC Irvine 42-18 (.700) 14-10/T3rd Super Regional
2006 USC 25-33 (.431) 11-13/T5th
2005 USC 41-22 (.651) 15-9/T3rd Super Regional
2004 USC 24-32 (.429) 10-14/T6th
2003 USC 28-28 (.500) 11-13/T5th
2002 USC 37-24 (.607) 17-7/1st Super Regional
2001 USC 45-19 (.703) 18-6/1st College World Series
2000 USC 44-20 (.688) 16-8/4th College World Series
1999 USC 36-26 (.581) 17-7/2nd Super Regional
1998 USC 49-17 (.742) 21-9/1st CWS Champion
1997 USC 42-20 (.692) 17-13/3rd Regional
1996 USC 44-16-1 (.718) 24-6/1st Regional
1995 USC 49-21 (.690) 21-9/1st College World Series
1994 USC 41-20 (.677) 19-11/3rd Regional
1993 USC 35-29 (.547) 15-15/4th Regional
1992 USC 28-26 (.527) 13-17/6th
1991 USC 46-17-1 (.715) 23-7/1st Regional
1990 USC 40-22 (.641) 18-12/3rd Regional
1989 USC 41-25 (.625) 16-14/3rd Regional
1988 USC 36-26 (.570) 13-17/4th
1987 USC 32-28 (.533) 12-18/T5th
Totals 1,124-696-2 464-313
