UC Irvine’s New Coach Starts Swinging

Confident that he can build UC Irvine into one of the nation’s best baseball programs in a hurry, John Savage was introduced Wednesday as the Anteaters’ newest coach.

“I think we can be a national power within two to three years,” he said at a press conference at the campus recreation center. “If you get the right players and you have the right mentality in players, you can go a long way.”

Flanked by memorabilia from Irvine’s 1973 and ’74 college division baseball championship teams, the former USC assistant told the audience that he already has called 15 potential recruits.

“I truly believe this program can be perked up and tuned up in a hurry,” he said. “The big thing is to be competitive at the highest level right away.”

Savage intends to leave his post as an assistant to the U.S. national team at the end of the month and hopes to sign the first recruits by November. Savage signed a five-year contract with a base salary of $72,000 a year.

Apparel and licensing contracts will boost his salary “closer to six figures,” Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said. That would get him close to the salary of Cal State Fullerton baseball Coach George Horton, who makes a base salary of $99,948, according to public documents.

UCI received 116 applications for the job, but Guerrero said he liked Savage’s strong belief in fundamentals and his reputation for developing young pitchers.

Savage’s first-hand knowledge of the three major West Coast conferences was also a plus. He pitched three seasons at Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference and was an assistant at Big West-champion Nevada before joining USC in the Pac-10 in 1996.

“I know Orange County very well,” said Savage, who lives in Cypress. “I know players would like to stay home.”

Irvine is reviving baseball in 2002 after dropping it a decade ago.