Long Beach State baseball will have a new pitching coach in 2010 after Jon Strauss agreed to a one-year contract with the Pepperdine Waves. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Strauss will be an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Waves, joining a team that posted its 32nd consecutive 30-win season (31-23 overall, 12-9 West Coast Conference) in 2009.
“It’s always hard leaving,” Strauss said. “I was [at LBSU] as a player/coach for 11 years … but there comes a time when you have to branch out. It’s hard to leave a place you like so much and have been at for so long.”
“It’s a great opportunity for me and my family,” he added.
The move leaves LBSU athletic director Vic Cegles in the position of hiring the school’s third pitching coach in four years.
“Jon Strauss did a great job for us as the 49er pitching coach,” he said. “We were excited to have him here at Long Beach and are sorry to see him leave, but he believes this is a better financial and professional move for him and his family.”
Long Beach officials added that the team is searching for a replacement.
Strauss’ familiarity with Pepperdine head coach Steve Rodriguez seems to have played into the move.
“[Rodriguez and I] were talking about the job, and I know coach Rodriguez from playing and competing against him,” he said. “And I think [Pepperdine] has a similar style as Long Beach with their pitching and defense. I talked to [Dirtbags] coach [Mike] Weathers to get permission to talk to Rodriguez and he allowed it. It seemed like a good fit.”
The Dirtbags finished last season with a losing record (25-29 overall, 11-13 Big West Conference) for the first time since 1989.
And next season seems uncertain after LBSU lost key pitchers (starter Adam Wilk, reliever Charlie Ruiz) to the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.
Strauss insists the departures did not factor into his decision to leave.
“It absolutely had nothing to do with the decision,” he said. “I would’ve been more worried last year after losing 11 players in the ‘08 draft. They’ll have a better team than last year because of experience … last year’s team had little experience. But this year you’ve got two returning starters in [Drew] Gagnon and [Jake] Thompson that could develop into really solid pitchers, but they’re going to be better.”
Strauss returned for his third stint with the Dirtbags in 2008 as he replaced Troy Buckley, who left to take a position with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Strauss served as assistant coach at San Jose State in 2007 before making his second run with the Dirtbags in 2006 as volunteer assistant.
He also had tenures at Glendale College as head coach (2001-02) and was pitching coach at Loyola Marymount for three years (2003-05).
Strauss also served as an assistant coach under Dave Snow from 1995 to 2000 and played for LBSU in 1993 and 1994.