Serrano staying put

UC Irvine baseball coach Dave Serrano said Wednesday he will not leave the school for a similar job at the University of Oregon.

Serrano, named 2007 National Coach of the Year after leading UCI to the College World Series in his third season at the helm, said remaining loyal to UCI was the primary factor in his decision.

“I’m staying at UC Irvine,” Serrano said from Las Vegas, where he is vacationing.

Serrano said Friday he had agreed to visit the Oregon campus to discuss specifics of the job. But his trip, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, was postponed by Oregon officials after it was announced Monday that Nike founder Phil Knight was donating $100 million to the school’s athletic department.

“I was still reluctant to go [to Oregon] and having a couple of days to think about it with my family helped me reach this decision,” Serrano said.

Serrano said he has appreciated all UCI has done for him and his staff — including a pay raise after last season.

“I did not want to hold UCI hostage,” Serrano said.

Serrano had not spoken to his players about his decision to stay, but noted that several players had approached administrators about being apprised of the situation.

Oregon athletic direct Pat Kilkenny had visited Orange County several weeks ago to personally discuss Serrano becoming the Ducks’ coach, Serrano said.

Oregon is resurrecting its baseball program after 26 years without the sport.

Serrano informed Kilkenny that he had no interest, but weeks later said he would visit the school to at least, “see what he was turning down.”