Pepperdine Announces Rick Hirtensteiner (89) as New Head Baseball Coach

Pepperdine University named Rick Hirtensteiner head coach of the Waves’ storied baseball program. Hirtensteiner has been the team’s assistant coach for 17 years and is a member of the forthcoming 2015 Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame induction class. He is now the fourth former player at Pepperdine to assume head coaching duties.

“I am honored, humbled and blessed to be able to follow in the footsteps of coaches Dave Gorrie, Andy Lopez, Frank Sanchez, and Steve Rodriguez (’01, MBA ’03),” said Hirtensteiner. “Steve has done a great job during the last 12 seasons directing the Pepperdine baseball team–building character, achieving in the classroom, succeeding on the field–and I look forward to building upon that Pepperdine tradition.”

During Hirtensteiner’s tenure as an assistant, the Waves won six West Coast Conference (WCC) regular-season crowns and advanced to the postseason 10 times. In 2014 Pepperdine advanced past the NCAA Tournament regional round for the first time since 1992. Pepperdine returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 after winning its second- straight WCC Tournament crown with wins over BYU, San Diego, and Loyola Marymount.

“Rick has contributed significantly to our program as an assistant coach and I am convinced he will continue the strong leadership and the championship tradition of our baseball program for many years to come,” said Steve Potts, director of athletics. “We are fortunate to have Rick as our new head coach.”

During Hirtensteiner’s collegiate career at Pepperdine (1985-1989), the Waves won four WCC titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament each season. The Waves earned a national top 20 ranking all four seasons. Hirtensteiner was tabbed the 1989 WCC Player of the Year and also earned All-American first team notice by Baseball America.