BAKERSFIELD, Calif.–CSU Bakersfield head baseball coach Bill Kernen has announced the addition of Mike Mayne to the staff and the promotion of promotion of assistant coach Jody Robinson to associate head coach for the Roadrunners.

Mayne served as the pitching coach at Fresno State in 2008 as the Bulldogs won the Division I College World Series. Prior to joining the Bulldogs’ staff, Mayne coached at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., Mayne had a 15-year record of 400-188-6. His baseball team at OCC won five South Coast Conference Championships and two Orange Empire Conference Championships along with winning the California State Community College Championship in 1980.

Mayne was the conference coach of the year eight times and the National Community College Coach of the Year in 1980. He was inducted into the California Community College Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1993. Along with coaching at OCC, Mayne also coached at Eisenhower High School and Kolb Junior High School in Rialto, Calif. Mayne also worked with the Seattle Mariners as a scout and roving instructor from 1993-94 and was a catching instructor during spring training for the Oakland Athletics in 1996. He was a four-year starter for the UC Riverside (1964-68) and a two-year football letterwinner.

While at UC Riverside, Mayne received his B.S. in Political Science then went on to earn his M.A. in Physical Education from Azusa Pacific University. Mayne and his wife Patricia have two sons, Brent and Kevin and five grandchildren. Their son Brent played 15 years in the major leagues, most recently with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where in retired in 2004.

Mayne will serve as a recruiter and defensive coach for the Roadrunners.

“The addition of Mike Mayne to our staff is very significant,” Kernen said. “Coach Mayne is widely recognized as the best teacher of baseball fundamentals in all of college baseball.  His addition gives CSUB baseball three coaches with an NCAA Division I National Championship on his resume.  Mike was the pitching coach for Fresno State in 2008 when they won the NCAA title and was for many years the preeminent junior college head coach in California at Orange Coast College.  His duties will focus on all aspects of our defense and recruiting.”

Robinson has been with Kernen and CSUB since the program’s inception. His main duties include running the Roadrunner offense, serving as the team’s hitting instructor and working defensively with the infielders.

Robinson and Kernen first joined forces as assistant coaches at Cal State Fullerton in the late 1970’s through 1981. During that time, the Titans, who had just made the transition to Division I in 1975, earned five NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the College World Series and a national championship title in 1979.

Robinson moved on to be named the head coach at Long Beach City College from 1982-85, where he led the Vikings to a runner-up finish in the Metropolitan Conference, falling to eventual state champion L.A. Harbor. He then spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Cerritos Community College, which won state championships in 1985 and 1987.

Robinson and Kernen teamed up briefly in 1988, both serving as assistant coaches to former Titan Head Coach Augie Garrido, this time at the University of Illinois. Robinson remained with the Illini for three seasons, helping the team to Big 10 Championships in 1989 and 1990. In 1991, Robinson returned to California where Kernen was in his second season as the head coach at Cal State Northridge, leading the Matadors through the transition from Division II to Division I play. After helping CSUN to a 44-18-1 record, the West Regional championship game and a top 10 ranking in the final NCAA Division I poll in their first season of DI play, Robinson was named the head coach at Loyola Marymount, where he guided the Lions to 109 wins from 1992-1996. While there, he also oversaw fundraising efforts for the construction of a baseball weight facility and upgrades to the Lions’ baseball field.

“Coach Robinson came to CSUB with head coaching credentials from (Loyola Marymount), so this is a natural transition that acknowledges his many roles in our baseball culture,” Kernen said. “Jody has been at the center of everything we’ve done since Day one here and we would not be where we are as a program without him.”

(Release)

Both the Dallas Baptist University and Cal State Bakersfield baseball programs will join the Western Athletic Conference beginning with the spring 2013 season. Both programs have been playing as Division One Independents for the duration of their existence.

“We are very excited to accept the invitation and have our baseball team join the WAC, said Jeff Konya, CSUB Athletic Director. “It’s a testament to the excellent work done by our coaching staff, our student-athletes and our program. All have worked tirelessly to make our baseball program an attractive conference member in such a short time.”

In just three seasons of play, CSUB head coach Bill Kernen has built the Roadrunners not only from the ground up, but into a nationally-ranked, top RPI performing program that has competed and had success against established programs such as UCLA, Arizona State, Nebraska, and two-time defending national champion South Carolina. The  Roadrunners narrowly missed an at-large selection into the NCAA Tournament last season despite a 33-22 record and an RPI that finished 52nd in the country.

“Membership in the WAC is a major step forward for the CSUB baseball program and a validation of the work done here by our student-athletes over the past three years,” said Kernen. “As now structured, the WAC owns a comparable Power Index number with the Big West and in my opinion will surpass that conference in the coming years.”

Dallas Baptist has made appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and 2011. This past year was a historic season for the Patriots as they advanced to the Santa Clara Super Regional by winning the NCAA Regional in Fort Worth.

“The President, Board of Trustees, and Administration at Dallas Baptist are excited about the opportunity for membership in the Western Athletic Conference,” said DBU Director of Athletics Ryan Erwin. “Our baseball program is the flagship program for our university and has a history of success at the NAIA and NCAA Division I level and the WAC will be an outstanding conference as we continue to grow and move forward.”

For the 2012 season, Dallas Baptist will participate in a scheduling agreement with the Missouri Valley Conference which allows the Patriots to play a full MVC schedule but does not permit DBU to play in the conference tournament. To once again compete in an NCAA Regional, the Patriots must earn an at-large bid from the tournament committee.

“The invitation and acceptance to join the WAC is a testament to where this program has been and the support we receive from our administration,” said head baseball coach Dan Heefner. “It is going to be an extremely competitive league that will challenge us and require us to continue to grow. Our coaches are excited, our players are excited, and obviously our administration is behind the move one hundred percent. Our membership in the WAC is a big step for our program and one we are looking forward to making.”

With the addition of Dallas Baptist and Cal State Bakersfield, the WAC in 2013 will have 10 teams in five states with a stronghold in the baseball-rich states of California and Texas, providing the potential to be among the top conferences in the nation. The WAC will then be made up of full-time members Seattle, San Jose State, New Mexico State, Texas State, Texas-Arlington, Texas-San Antonio and affiliate members CSU Bakersfield, Dallas Baptist and Sacramento State.

It’s starting to look more and more like winter in most parts of the country, but since the calender still officially says it’s fall we’ll continue with our latest Fall Notebook…