Former Tennessee baseball coach Dave Serrano is back coaching college baseball in Knoxville. Johnson University announced Serrano as the program’s newest head coach Monday morning.
“Coach Serrano’s resume speaks for itself,” Johnson athletic director Brandon Perry said. “We feel that his addition is going to raise expectations for the baseball program and our entire department. His experience coaching at the highest levels will help our athletic department take a huge leap forward. We were looking for a leader to help our baseball program compete in the AAC and nationally in NAIA. Coach Serrano certainly has the ability to build a program that can achieve that goal. But it is also Coach Serrano’s commitment to holistic development that really excited us as it aligns perfectly with who we are. Our baseball program will be influential in the community because of his leadership.”
Serrano spent six years as Tennessee’s head coach from 2012 through 2017. The California native led the Vols to a 157-163 (55-120 SEC) record in his six years at the helm of the Tennessee program. Serrano never led Tennessee to the NCAA Tournament but did take the Vols to a pair of SEC Tournaments in his six seasons.
Former director of athletics John Currie fired Serrano following the 2017 season, tabbing then Arkansas assistant Tony Vitello to lead the Volunteer program.
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Serrano spent time in the media after his Tennessee tenure before spending three seasons as head coach at Cal State Northridge. The veteran coach retired after the 2022 season but finds himself back in East Tennessee coaching again after just one season.
“I’m truly honored to be the next head baseball coach at Johnson University, and thank athletic director Brandon Perry for trusting me in this role,” Serrano said. “After retiring from college coaching in June of 2022 there had to be a place that I felt could be special to change my mind. Having the opportunity to coach again in this great community, which I call home, is a thrill to me. My belief is we will build this program and develop players and people to make this a great place for student-athletes.”
The majority of Serrano’s coaching success came before he arrived at Tennessee. Serrano led UC Irvine to the College World Series in his three-year tenure before taking Cal State Fullerton to a College World Series and two more super regionals in his four-year tenure.
Serrano has his work cut out for him at Johnson. The Royals went 5-44 (4-26 Appalachian NCCAA) in 2023. Johnson Univeristy is a tiny christian college in Knoxville which competes in the NAIA instead of the NCAA.
