Cochell Is Likely Titan Pick : Northwestern Coach One of Two Finalists to Succeed Garrido

Cal State Fullerton may name a replacement for baseball coach Augie Garrido as soon as this afternoon, and it is likely to be Northwestern Coach Larry Cochell, who coached at Cal State Los Angeles from 1972-76 and spent 10 years as head coach at Oral Roberts.

Associate athletic director Steve DiTolla, chairman of the five-member search committee, said Thursday that Fullerton had come to an agreement Thursday with one of the two candidates still under consideration who had been interviewed--Cochell or UC Riverside Coach Jack Smitheran.

Cochell, who is staying at a Fullerton hotel, could not be reached for comment, but Smitheran said he had “not heard from (Fullerton administrators) whatsoever” on Thursday.

Cochell, who was interviewed Wednesday, was one of the first candidates Athletic Director Ed Carroll sought permission to interview when Garrido was named coach at Illinois Aug. 12.

Smitheran’s name was the third to be added to a list of candidates to be interviewed.

Cochell, 47, has been at Northwestern for one season. Before that, he was athletic director at Oral Roberts for three years in addition to his 10 years as coach. While he was at Oral Roberts, seven of his teams were ranked in the top 10 nationally. He played at Arizona State, began his coaching career at Emporia State in Kansas and went to Creighton before leaving for Cal State L.A.

Cochell is a member of two prestigious NCAA baseball committees--the rules committee and the All-America selection committee.

Contacted in Illinois, Garrido, who was named coach at Illinois Aug. 12, called Cochell a friend, a “straightforward, honest, capable guy,” who favors an aggressive style of baseball and is well-respected by professional scouts.

Cochell has made a practice of recruiting heavily in Southern California.

Cerritos College Coach George Horton, the other candidate who officially interviewed for the job, withdrew Tuesday, saying he was “not interested” in the amount of fund raising required at the school. Loyola Marymount Coach Dave Snow, the early favorite, withdrew for personal reasons last weekend after meeting informally with Fullerton administrators.

Smitheran, 46, has won two NCAA Division II championships at UC Riverside. He also played at Arizona State and was an assistant coach for two years at the school. Smitheran succeeded Cochell at Emporia State, where he coached before going to Riverside.