UCI waiting approval for Gillespie to start coaching

Mike Gillespie is still awaiting approval of his contract terms before officially beginning his term as UC Irvine baseball coach. Gillespie, who last week accepted the school’s offer to replace Dave Serrano, who left for Cal State Fullerton, still hopes to be cleared in time to oversee the start of practice Thursday.

But as of Tuesday, the school had not received word from University of California headquarters in Oakland, where officials are required to approve contracts that exceed a certain monetary threshold. It is unclear what that threshold is.

UC Riverside Athletic Director Stan Morrison said he went through a similar delay after hiring men’s basketball coach Jim Woolridge in late April.

There was a delay of several days before Woolridge’s hiring was announced.

“I was lucky, because one of our vice chancellors got to a guy who got to the guy who had to approve it,” Morrison said. “At one point, we did not know where the guy [whose approval was needed] was, because he was out of the country.”

Paula Smith, UCI interim athletic director, said Tuesday that in the event Gillespie could not begin practicing with the team by Thursday, strength and conditioning coach Mike Nagler would oversee workouts.

— Barry Faulkner