FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Long Beach, Calif. – Long Beach State head baseball coach Mike Weathers has announced his retirement from baseball effective at the end of the 2010 season.
“After 18 years at Long Beach State, nine as an assistant and nine as head coach, I feel it is time to step aside and let someone else lead the program,” Weathers said. “I’ve wanted to spend more time with my wife, Charlotte, my daughters and my grandson and this will allow me to do that. I’m anxious to start the next stage of my life and I am excited to continue to watch the Dirtbags compete for championships.”
In his nine seasons (2002-2010) at the helm of the Long Beach State program, Weathers has guided the Dirtbags to a 309-198 record. He has led the team to two Big West Conference championships and five runner-up finishes, while taking the team to a NCAA Regional six times and a NCAA Super Regional twice. Weathers’ teams have won at least 40 games in a season twice and at least 35 games four other times.
Weathers earned Big West Conference Coach of the Year honors twice (2003, 2008), while leading the Dirtbags to a No. 3 national ranking in Baseball America on May 8, 2003. He coached 13 eventual major leaguers during his time as the head coach at LBSU, including seven who are currently in the big leagues. Weathers also coached 56 Dirtbags who signed to play professionally, 51 of whom were drafted. He had a program-record 11 players drafted after the 2008 season.
Weathers coached National Pitcher/Player of the Year Jered Weaver in 2004, as well as two Golden Spikes finalists (Weaver and Evan Longoria). He had six players named Big West Conference Pitcher or Player of the Year during his tenure as head coach with Abe Alvarez winning it in 2002 and 2003 (co), Weaver claiming the award in 2003 (co) and 2004 (co), Longoria in 2006 (co), Andrew Liebel in 2008 (tri) and Shane Peterson in 2008 (co). Weathers also coached nine different players to a total of 14 All-America honors and six players to Freshman All-America recognition, while Peterson earned first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
Weathers spent two seasons as the head coach at Utah (1980-81) and nine seasons as the skipper at Chapman (1984-1992) before joining the Dirtbags as an assistant in 1993. He has compiled a career record of 588-484-2 as a head coach at the three schools.
“Mike has been an outstanding leader of the program and a great representative of the university,” LBSU athletic director Vic Cegles said. “He has recruited and taught numerous major league prospects, but more importantly, he has mentored hundreds of young men to graduation and maturity. I consider Mike not only a terrific baseball man, but a life coach who will leave a strong legacy on the campus and in the community. To be sure, we wish him and his wife Charlotte all the best in his retirement years.”
“Mike Weathers has been a valued member of the university community for nearly 20 years,” university president F. King Alexander added. “I want to personally thank him for his dedication and loyalty to the 49er family. Dirtbag baseball is a special tradition and a unique brand for the university and Mike has been an excellent caretaker of the program during his tenure.”
Associate head coach Troy Buckley will take over the program following the 2010 season finale and become just the seventh head coach in the 57-year history of 49er baseball. Buckley returned to the Dirtbags before this season after spending two seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he served as the coordinator of minor league pitching. That came on the heels of the tremendous job Buckley did as the pitching coach for Long Beach State from 2002-2007. During that time he coached eight eventual major leaguers in Alvarez, Andrew Carpenter, Chris Demaria, Marco Estrada, Cesar Ramos, Carlos Muniz, Jason Vargas and Weaver.
“We are fortunate to have Troy as the coach in waiting,” Cegles said. “He brings outstanding baseball knowledge, leadership and teaching skills to the position and possesses a strong appreciation of the Dirtbag tradition and the style of our play. We are excited about the future of Long Beach State baseball as it continues to pursue conference and national championships.”
2 comments
They should be better now that that guy is gone. Bring Snow back for a chance at a World Series ring. Good riddance Weathers. Finally.
They should be better now that that guy is gone. Bring Snow back for a chance at a World Series ring. Good riddance Weathers. Finally.
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