Cal Poly Hires Former USC, LMU Head Coach Jason Gill as Assistant Coach
7/27/2023 12:52:00 PM | Baseball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Jason Gill, former head coach at USC and Loyola Marymount who played for Larry Lee at Cuesta College in the early 1990s, has been hired as an assistant coach for the Cal Poly baseball program.
Gill replaces Matt Fonteno, who has returned to UC Santa Barbara as associate head coach after serving one season under Lee in the same capacity at Cal Poly. Fonteno was an assistant coach for the Gauchos from 2019-21.
Gill, who has College World Series experience as both a player and coach, and guided Loyola Marymount to the brink of a 2019 NCAA Super Regional appearance, guided USC to 60 wins in three seasons (2020-22).
The 2020 campaign was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trojans winning 10 of 15 games. Gill coached USC to a 25-26 mark in 2021 and 25-28 in 2022.
Three Trojans earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors -- catcher Garret Guillemette, third baseman Ben Ramirez (3b) and second baseman Tyresse Turner -- and three others earned honorable mention praise. Pitcher/first baseman Ben Wanger earned second-team All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball in 2020 while pitcher Ethan Hoopingamer was named a freshman All-American, also in 2020 by Collegiate Baseball.
Gill came to USC after 11 seasons (2009-19) as head coach at Loyola Marymount, where he posted a 322-286-1 (.530) overall record. He led the Lions to a 34-25 record and into the 2019 NCAA postseason, with LMU reaching the final of the Los Angeles Regional after wins over Baylor and UCLA, before narrowly falling to the top-seeded Bruins.
"I'm excited to be joining the Mustang family," said Gill. "Coach Lee is known for developing big leaguers, both at the plate and on the mound, and I can't wait to learn from him and help him win championships."
"It is unbelievable what Coach Lee and the Athletics staff have done to Baggett Stadium and the facility as a whole," Gill added. "To me, it's the best facility on the West Coast and is a great place to bring in student-athletes for a real college baseball experience with knowledgeable fans who pack the house in a true college town in one of the most beautiful places in the country."
Gill's career record in 14 seasons as a head coach is 382-345-1.
Gill's LMU teams made the four-team West Coast Conference Tournament five of his last six years, with the Lions winning the tournament title in 2019 and a regular season title in 2017.
He has made a total of four trips to Omaha as a player and coach, reaching the College World Series as a player with Cal State Fullerton in 1994 and then returning as an undergraduate assistant under legendary coach Augie Garrido with the Titans' 1995 National Championship squad.
Gill later served under George Horton as an assistant coach at his alma mater, helping the Titans to CWS appearances in 2006 and 2007. In total, Gill has been to the postseason nine times as a coach.
"I couldn't be more excited to have Jason join the Cal Poly baseball coaching staff," Lee said. "His resume and accomplishments speak for themselves. He has been associated with some of the best baseball minds and programs in college baseball.
"Jason has worn many hats over his coaching career," Lee added. "He has worked with players at every position on the field, has been the recruiting coordinator for most of his career, and has been a head coach for 14 of those years. This skill set mix is why Jason has been successful for so long."
Gill saw 31 Lions selected in the MLB Draft during his tenure at LMU and three of them reached the big leagues, including David Fletcher with the Angels. Over the entirety of his coaching career, both as an assistant and head coach, Gill has worked with 24 players who went on to make it to the majors. Notable names on that list include Khris Davis, Justin Turner, Lyle Overbay, Aaron Rowand, Mike Lamb, Mark Kotsay and Jeremy Giambi.
Gill brought in a pair of Top 25 recruiting classes while at LMU, something that hadn't been done in 15 years at the school. In total during his time as an assistant, Gill served as a collegiate recruiting coordinator for seven seasons, recording six recruiting classes in the Top 30 and two in the Top 10 over that span to solidify his place as one of the top recruiters in the country.
In his 11 years as a head coach at LMU, Gill helped develop 62 All-WCC players, four WCC Defensive Players of the Year, two WCC Pitchers of the Year and five All-Americans.
Prior to his time at LMU, he was the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator under Horton at both Cal State Fullerton (2005-07) and Oregon (2008), bringing in a Top 10 recruiting class in 2007 at Fullerton. He was Horton's first hire at Oregon as both men left Cal State Fullerton to begin the reconstruction of the Ducks' baseball program in 2007.
Gill spent the three years (2001-04) preceding his time with the Titans at UC Irvine, where he brought in the No. 8 class in the country for the Anteaters in 2002 and had a pair of Top 30 classes following that. At UC Irvine, he helped guide the program back from extinction and worked alongside then UCI head coach John Savage to get the Anteaters back to the postseason in 2004.
Gill was an assistant at LMU in 1999 and 2000, helping the Lions to WCC titles in both seasons, and prior to that worked as an assistant at Nevada (1997-98), helping the Wolfpack to the program's second ever postseason appearance.
He also has Team USA experience, serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. Collegiate National Team in both 2012 and 2016.
Gill attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., then played second base at Cuesta College under Lee in 1991 and 1992, earning honorable mention All-Western State Conference praise and leading the Cougars into the Southern California Regionals both seasons, including a berth in the state Final Four in 1992. He hit .287 in 39 games in 1991 and .307 in 38 contests in 1992.
"I have always loved San Luis Obispo and the people who live here," said Gill. I was fortunate to play for Coach Lee at Cuesta for two years and I'm excited to have my wife and son get to experience this beautiful place."
After two seasons at Cuesta, Gill then went on to play at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1993) and was named an All-California Collegiate Athletic Association honorable mention. He moved on to Cal State Fullerton to play his senior season in 1994, batting .345 with a .469 on-base percentage and .388 slugging percentage en route to All-Big West Conference honors.
Born on April 7, 1970, Gill received his bachelor's degree from Cal State Fullerton in Kinesiology in 1996.
Gill and his wife, Kacey, have one son, Shane.
Gill replaces Matt Fonteno, who has returned to UC Santa Barbara as associate head coach after serving one season under Lee in the same capacity at Cal Poly. Fonteno was an assistant coach for the Gauchos from 2019-21.
Gill, who has College World Series experience as both a player and coach, and guided Loyola Marymount to the brink of a 2019 NCAA Super Regional appearance, guided USC to 60 wins in three seasons (2020-22).
The 2020 campaign was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trojans winning 10 of 15 games. Gill coached USC to a 25-26 mark in 2021 and 25-28 in 2022.
Three Trojans earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors -- catcher Garret Guillemette, third baseman Ben Ramirez (3b) and second baseman Tyresse Turner -- and three others earned honorable mention praise. Pitcher/first baseman Ben Wanger earned second-team All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball in 2020 while pitcher Ethan Hoopingamer was named a freshman All-American, also in 2020 by Collegiate Baseball.
Gill came to USC after 11 seasons (2009-19) as head coach at Loyola Marymount, where he posted a 322-286-1 (.530) overall record. He led the Lions to a 34-25 record and into the 2019 NCAA postseason, with LMU reaching the final of the Los Angeles Regional after wins over Baylor and UCLA, before narrowly falling to the top-seeded Bruins.
"I'm excited to be joining the Mustang family," said Gill. "Coach Lee is known for developing big leaguers, both at the plate and on the mound, and I can't wait to learn from him and help him win championships."
"It is unbelievable what Coach Lee and the Athletics staff have done to Baggett Stadium and the facility as a whole," Gill added. "To me, it's the best facility on the West Coast and is a great place to bring in student-athletes for a real college baseball experience with knowledgeable fans who pack the house in a true college town in one of the most beautiful places in the country."
Gill's career record in 14 seasons as a head coach is 382-345-1.
Gill's LMU teams made the four-team West Coast Conference Tournament five of his last six years, with the Lions winning the tournament title in 2019 and a regular season title in 2017.
He has made a total of four trips to Omaha as a player and coach, reaching the College World Series as a player with Cal State Fullerton in 1994 and then returning as an undergraduate assistant under legendary coach Augie Garrido with the Titans' 1995 National Championship squad.
Gill later served under George Horton as an assistant coach at his alma mater, helping the Titans to CWS appearances in 2006 and 2007. In total, Gill has been to the postseason nine times as a coach.
"I couldn't be more excited to have Jason join the Cal Poly baseball coaching staff," Lee said. "His resume and accomplishments speak for themselves. He has been associated with some of the best baseball minds and programs in college baseball.
"Jason has worn many hats over his coaching career," Lee added. "He has worked with players at every position on the field, has been the recruiting coordinator for most of his career, and has been a head coach for 14 of those years. This skill set mix is why Jason has been successful for so long."
Gill saw 31 Lions selected in the MLB Draft during his tenure at LMU and three of them reached the big leagues, including David Fletcher with the Angels. Over the entirety of his coaching career, both as an assistant and head coach, Gill has worked with 24 players who went on to make it to the majors. Notable names on that list include Khris Davis, Justin Turner, Lyle Overbay, Aaron Rowand, Mike Lamb, Mark Kotsay and Jeremy Giambi.
Gill brought in a pair of Top 25 recruiting classes while at LMU, something that hadn't been done in 15 years at the school. In total during his time as an assistant, Gill served as a collegiate recruiting coordinator for seven seasons, recording six recruiting classes in the Top 30 and two in the Top 10 over that span to solidify his place as one of the top recruiters in the country.
In his 11 years as a head coach at LMU, Gill helped develop 62 All-WCC players, four WCC Defensive Players of the Year, two WCC Pitchers of the Year and five All-Americans.
Prior to his time at LMU, he was the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator under Horton at both Cal State Fullerton (2005-07) and Oregon (2008), bringing in a Top 10 recruiting class in 2007 at Fullerton. He was Horton's first hire at Oregon as both men left Cal State Fullerton to begin the reconstruction of the Ducks' baseball program in 2007.
Gill spent the three years (2001-04) preceding his time with the Titans at UC Irvine, where he brought in the No. 8 class in the country for the Anteaters in 2002 and had a pair of Top 30 classes following that. At UC Irvine, he helped guide the program back from extinction and worked alongside then UCI head coach John Savage to get the Anteaters back to the postseason in 2004.
Gill was an assistant at LMU in 1999 and 2000, helping the Lions to WCC titles in both seasons, and prior to that worked as an assistant at Nevada (1997-98), helping the Wolfpack to the program's second ever postseason appearance.
He also has Team USA experience, serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. Collegiate National Team in both 2012 and 2016.
Gill attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., then played second base at Cuesta College under Lee in 1991 and 1992, earning honorable mention All-Western State Conference praise and leading the Cougars into the Southern California Regionals both seasons, including a berth in the state Final Four in 1992. He hit .287 in 39 games in 1991 and .307 in 38 contests in 1992.
"I have always loved San Luis Obispo and the people who live here," said Gill. I was fortunate to play for Coach Lee at Cuesta for two years and I'm excited to have my wife and son get to experience this beautiful place."
After two seasons at Cuesta, Gill then went on to play at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1993) and was named an All-California Collegiate Athletic Association honorable mention. He moved on to Cal State Fullerton to play his senior season in 1994, batting .345 with a .469 on-base percentage and .388 slugging percentage en route to All-Big West Conference honors.
Born on April 7, 1970, Gill received his bachelor's degree from Cal State Fullerton in Kinesiology in 1996.
Gill and his wife, Kacey, have one son, Shane.
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