Mike Mayne to Retire as OCC Coach

Mike Mayne announced Wednesday that he will retire after this season, his 15th as head baseball coach at Orange Coast College. Mayne, 45, said he will remain at the school as a physical education instructor.

Mayne, the winningest active community college baseball coach in Orange County with a mark of 389-178, said he is unsure about his baseball future but could explore some coaching opportunities in professional baseball.

“To be competitive as a community college coach is a year-round endeavor,” Mayne said. “There’s no sanity to it, and I’ll admit that over the years I’ve been as guilty as anyone when it comes to going at it year-round.”

OCC is 10-5, 4-4 in Orange Empire Conference play this season. Mayne told his players of his decision Tuesday and the Pirates later rallied from eight runs back to beat Riverside, 14-11, in 10 innings.

OCC Athletic Director Barry Wallace isn’t sure if Mayne’s replacement will be a walk-on or a full-time coach.

Mayne stepped down to assistant coach for the 1990 season, citing many of the same reasons. But he returned to run the team last season. This time, he says he has no plans to come back.

“Knowing what he has gone through the past 16 years, I understand why he is doing it,” Wallace said. “Mike feels the community doesn’t care about what he has accomplished here, but he’s wrong. They knows the guy is a legend to Orange County baseball.”

Mayne started at OCC in 1977 after three years at Rialto Eisenhower High School. He has won six conference championships and a State title, in 1980, at OCC.

The 1980 team went 33-7, one of six Mayne teams to win 30 or more games. The Pirates won 20 or more games 12 times and won a school-record 22 consecutive games in 1986.

Mayne has sent more than 100 players to the minor leagues, and seven former OCC players were in the majors at some point last season.

Heading the list was Mayne’s son Brent, who is a catcher with the Kansas City Royals. Others were pitcher Chris Beasley and infielder Donnie Hill (Angels), catcher Damon Berryhill (Braves), outfielder Kevin Romine (Red Sox), outfielder Kevin Reimer (Rangers), and infielder Jeff Gardner (Mets).