Oxnard College Baseball Coach Taylor Hired as Assistant at Long Beach City

In his first year as Oxnard College baseball coach, Dave Taylor led the team from last place in the Western State Conference in 1990 to a postseason berth, but Taylor said Friday that he will not return to the school even if the baseball program does manage to survive impending budget cuts.

Because Taylor was hired on an emergency basis when then-Coach Lindsay Meggs left Oxnard for Long Beach City College last September, the baseball position was reopened this spring. Taylor did not interview for the Oxnard job and said he will become Meggs’ pitching coach at Long Beach City. Interviews were suspended when the future of the athletic program became uncertain.

“Here it is, June 14, and they haven’t hired a baseball coach yet,” Taylor said. “I wasn’t going to wait around for them all summer.”

Taylor, who has his secondary teaching certificate, said he is leaving Oxnard, in part, because teaching opportunities are better in Long Beach. He plans to apply for positions at the high school and junior high levels.

Oxnard was 14-22 in 1990 but under Taylor improved to 21-19 and qualified for the WSC Shaughnessy tournament championship.