FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton baseball Head Coach Rick Vanderhook has been signed to a five-year extension through the 2024 season, Athletics Director Jim Donovan announced Tuesday.
“If we believe, like I do, that our nationally prominent baseball program is a window through which hundreds of thousands of future Titans and CSUF fans are introduced to the university, then it is imperative that the face of that program reflects the Titan tenets of character, tenacity, grit, and the undying aspiration to Reach Higher,” said President Framroze Virjee. “Those are exactly the values that Coach Vanderhook both personifies and instills in our program and players, and I look forward to Titan baseball’s thriving success — both on the field and in the classroom — with ‘Hook’ at the helm.”
The Titans have had great success under Vanderhook, going 271-152 while winning 30-plus games in each of his seven seasons. Fullerton has made the postseason every year with Vanderhook as the head coach while going to four super regionals and making it to the College World Series twice. In his seven seasons, Vanderhook has been named Big West Conference Coach of the year five times.
“It’s an honor 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. I look forward to maintaining the proud work ethic we have as Titans day in and day out. 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.”
Vanderhook has been at the helm of the program since 2012 but has been an integral part of the Titans for many years, serving as an assistant coach for 21 seasons including being part of the 1995 and 2004 national championship teams.
While Fullerton has made two College World Series appearances under Vanderhook, the 2018 journey to the Fullerton Super Regional might have been the most impressive coaching display in his tenure.
After starting 1-7 the Titans rallied to win 13 of their final 16 games to win the Big West Conference for the fifth time in Vanderhook’s seven seasons and earn a trip the Stanford Regional. The Titans took care of business in Palo Alto, going 3-0 including two wins over No. 2 ranked Stanford to secure another Super Regional birth under coach Vanderhook.
Vanderhook has show his winning pedigree in his time with Fullerton, but maybe more importantly he’s shown he can get players to the next level. Since 2012 when Vanderhook took over as head coach, 39 players have been selected in the MLB draft.
