Exactly eight months after being hired to be the head baseball coach at Tennessee, Dave Serrano met with the media one last time before getting ready to finally kick off his first season in a Volunteer uniform this weekend against Northern Illinois.

After 245 days on the job and less than 72 hours before his team's first true test, Serrano's message was one of excitement and anticipation in spite of the uncertainty about exactly what lies ahead.

"My coaching staff, myself and our players are excited about the road that we're about to go down together starting Friday," Serrano said. "You never feel as a coach that you're ever completely ready to start, but we think we're as ready as we're going to be. I think how we'll start learning more about what we need to do as coaches when this team is playing other competition.

"(The members of this coaching staff have) been at places where the expectations have been higher right out of the gate, but I don't know if we've ever been more excited about what's going to start Friday. That could tell you that we're pretty excited and feel honored to be leading this program now and a long time in the future."

While Serrano is quick to point out that this team can't and will not ever overlook any team on its schedule, Tennessee's goal this weekend is simply to improve as a team rather than put too much of its focus on what Northern Illinois is going to do.

"It's about what we do," Serrano said. "I haven't even looked at their stuff. I know they're going two left-handers Friday, Saturday and throwing a right-hander on Sunday. They're probably coming out of colder weather than we have, but it's not about what they do. It's about what we do."

"I do know that this team is going to play hard. I think it's a very unselfish team, which is important. Those are things that are going to have to maintain themselves throughout the year. I said this early on, it's going to take a full roster of players and a full staff of coaches each day being at our best to reach the potential of what we need to be. And that's a great challenge to have out in front of us."

VOLS UNVEIL NEW UNIFORMS
On Tuesday, Tennessee unveiled a new set of uniforms designed to create more of a traditional look for the Vols when they hit the field this season.

"It brings back a little bit of history to UT baseball and I think it gives us a sharp look," Serrano said.

In addition to the team's black batting practice top, Tennessee will also have separate orange and white tops with black piping and script Vols across the chest, as well as a traditional gray road uniform. The Big Orange will have their choice of plain white or pinstripe pants and will wear a black hat with an orange bill and an orange power T.

POSITION SPOTLIGHT: STARTING ROTATION
The Vols announced the starting rotation for the opening weekend against Northern Illinois on Tuesday.

As expected, junior Drew Steckenrider will get the nod on Friday. A power-arm that has hit as high as 97 on the radar gun, he will be making his seventh career start after doing so three times in each of his first two seasons at Rocky Top. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native has a career record of 2-1 and a 6.02 ERA in 29 total appearances to go along with 53 strikeouts in 46.1 innings of work.

"I'm going to be honest with you," Serrano said. "With Drew, I'm kind of basing it on potential a little bit. I don't like to be that way. I'm hoping Drew is able to perform to the level that his level will take him. He is a guy that can pitch on Friday. He is a guy that can match up with some of the better guys in the SEC and guys around the country. It's just a matter of him being able to do it week in and week out."

On Saturday, junior Zack Godley will be making his first start in a Tennessee uniform after leading the Vols with 28 appearances out of the bullpen last season. The second-year transfer from Spartanburg Methodist finished second on the team with a 3.38 ERA last year, striking out 34 in 32.0 innings and recording a pair of saves.

The most experienced pitcher on the Tennessee roster with 38 career appearances, including seven starts, junior Nick Blount will get the starting assignment on Sunday. The Loganville, Ga., product is 3-7 with a 6.98 ERA in his first two seasons in the Orange and White. A sinkerball pitcher, he has logged 78.2 innings, the most of anyone on the Vol pitching staff.

SEC COACHES POLL ANNOUNCED
The Southeastern Conference released its annual preseason coaches' poll on Monday with Tennessee projected to finish sixth in the Eastern Division. While not the most ideal place to start the season, Serrano and his staff just see it as another opportunity and another challenge to overcome.

"We want to prove it on the field," Serrano said. "You look at all the polls around the country, the Baseball America's and all that, that's someone's opinion. The game is still played on the field. We get that opportunity 30 times in the SEC and 55 times over the course of the year. My approach and my coaching staff's approach this year is every day that we suit up in a uniform, we get the opportunity to be the best team on the field that day."

TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Season tickets, 20-game flex plans and individual game tickets for the upcoming Tennessee baseball season are now on sale.

While supplies last, any fan who purchases two reserved-seat season tickets will receive a baseball autographed by Tennessee head coach Dave Serrano. Those who purchase four reserved-seat season tickets will receive a jersey signed by the Vol skipper.

Purchase your season tickets now by logging on to www.UTTix.com or calling the ticket office at (865) 656-1200.

For the most-up-to-date information on Tennessee baseball, visit www.UTSports.com/baseball and follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter.

A renewed sense of excitement and optimism filled the air at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Friday as the Tennessee baseball team hit the field for its first official team practice of the spring under the direction of first-year head coach Dave Serrano and his staff.

"It's obviously exciting," Serrano said. "I'm hoping the players are as excited as this coaching staff is for the start of us writing the story of this season. I don't know how the story will end, but I know we will be able to control a lot of the chapters and a lot of the pages that are written. We have a lot of work to do, so every time we get on the field it is going to be important for us to maximize the time we have out here."

In addition to the traditional work on fundamental physical skills, much of the coaching staff's focus during spring practice will be on developing the mental side of this year's Volunteer squad.

"I want to continue to build our competitiveness as a team," Serrano said. "We want competitiveness and consistency in all areas. Continue to throw more strikes, continue to make routine plays, continue to put the ball in play and continue to put pressure on the defense. This coaching staff, as you will come to find out, will never be satisfied with anything. No matter if we play the perfect game, we won't be satisfied with that. We want to get better and I think the players understand that now."

With 18 newcomers on this year's team, the Vols will be looking to returning starters such as senior shortstop Zach Osborne and junior centerfielder Chris Fritts for leadership on and off the diamond. With just nine pitchers who combined for only 15 starts last season returning for the 2012 campaign, the Big Orange won't have quite that same luxury on the mound.

"Most of our experience that has had success is our position players that are returning. Early on, that could be the thing that carries us a little bit. We need to grow up and we need to grow up fast on the mound. We have enough potential there, but sometimes potential is a dangerous word. We don't want to just hear potential, we want to see results. We will only go as far as mentally tough and consistent as our pitching staff is. That is eventually going to have to be the strong point of this team. For years to come that is going to be what this program is built around: pitching and defense."

Tennessee will open the 2012 campaign Feb. 17-19 when it hosts a three-game set against Northern Illinois at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE
The Vols understand that getting the Tennessee program back to the upper-echelon of college baseball is not going to be an overnight process. With that in mind, they have their sights set on a set of goals that have to come before the ultimate destination.

"Our goals are easy," Serrano said. "We want to maximize our ability as a baseball team. Whatever our expectations are as a team, we want to get to that level and beyond. There is no win total that I have set out as a goal. Obviously this program hasn't been to the SEC Tournament in a while, so that is a goal that I have in mind.

"To me when you take over a program and are kind of rebuilding in some ways, you set stepping stones and that is the first step. We can't talk about Omaha until we get to the SEC Tournament. To be able to play good enough baseball in what is going to be another challenging year in this conference and to get to the SEC Tournament in Hoover I think would be a great feat for this team after the last few years. "

In order to begin reaching those goals, the Vols must first believe that they are capable of doing so, something Serrano and his staff try to remind the players of each and every day.

"It starts with the belief that you can do it," Serrano said. "If you don't think you can do it is probably not going to happen. People can see us as a coaching staff as arrogant, but we aren't arrogant we are just confident. We are confident in our track history of what we have been able to accomplish at different places and our development. There is no reason I don't think that can happen here in what I feel is a very special place here in Knoxville, Tennessee."

POSITION SPOTLIGHT: CLOSER CANDIDATES
The closer, always one of the most critical positions on any pitching staff and one that takes a special type of pitcher both in terms of physical ability as well as mental.

With the start of the 2012 campaign still 21 days away, the Vols' top two candidates for the role are sophomore Nick Williams and junior Samuel Davis from Columbia State Community College. Both pitchers are right-handed, but that is about where the similarities end.

A sidearm pitcher, Davis pitches to contact and has the ability to routinely induce groundball outs. Williams, meanwhile, is more of a power arm that will miss a lot of bats and generate more strikeouts.

How his closer gets outs is of little significance to Serrano, however. He is looking for the pitcher with the mentality to best get the job done.

You can't have a fear of failure," Serrano said. "You have to have a short memory. You can't remember what just happened the day before you just have to go out there and live pitch to pitch."

FIRST SCRIMMAGE
The squad split into two teams for its first official intrasquad scrimmage of the spring on Friday. Providing the highlights for the scrimmage were a pair of juniors in right-handed pitcher Drew Steckenrider and centerfielder Chris Fritts.

On the mound, Steckenrider twirled four quality innings, allowing just one run on one hit while striking out two. He also put his offensive abilities on display, collecting a pair of RBIs on a double down the left-field line and stealing a base. Fritts, meanwhile, launched a two-run home run onto "The Porch" in left field.

Sophomore southpaw Dalton Saberhagen also posted a solid performance toward the end of the evening with a pair of shutout frames, helping his own cause on two occasions with two terrific defensive plays.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
Season tickets and 20-game flex plans for the upcoming Tennessee baseball season are now on sale.

While supplies last, any fan who purchases two reserved-seat season tickets will receive a baseball autographed by Tennessee head coach Dave Serrano. Those who purchase four reserved-seat season tickets will receive a jersey signed by the Vol skipper.

Purchase your season tickets now by logging on to www.UTTix.com or calling the ticket office at (865) 656-1200. Individual game tickets will go on sale Feb. 1.

For the most-up-to-date information on Tennessee baseball, visit www.UTSports.com/baseball and follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter.

USABaseball.com

DURHAM, N.C. - USA Baseball announced Tuesday the naming of Dave Serrano as manager of the 2012 Collegiate National Team. The new Tennessee Volunteer head coach will be making his managerial debut for Team USA.

Serrano was named the 24th head coach of the University Tennessee baseball program on June 15, on the heels of his fourth season at the helm of Cal State Fullerton. The former Titans skipper earned Big West Coach of the Year honors in 2011 for the second season in a row and led Fullerton to its 20th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

"We could not be more pleased with Dave Serrano accepting our invitation to serve as manager of the 2012 Collegiate National Team," said Eric Campbell, general manager of USA Baseball National Teams. "The energy and passion he brought to the Collegiate program in 2010 was key to the success of that club, and we're confident those qualities will carry over to the 2012 team as well."

Serrano's first experience in the red, white and blue came as pitching coach of the 2010 Collegiate team. He helped guide a staff headlined by several 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft first round picks, including Gerrit Cole (No. 1 overall, Pittsburgh Pirates), Sonny Gray (No. 18 overall, Oakland Athletics), Matt Barnes (No. 19 overall, Boston Red Sox), Tyler Anderson (No. 20 overall, Colorado Rockies), and Sean Gilmartin (No. 28 overall, Atlanta Braves). The 2010 club finished 16-3 overall, and Serrano's staff compiled a 1.22 ERA for the summer.

"It is a tremendous honor to be given the opportunity to lead the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team," said Serrano. "My experience on Bill Kinneberg's staff in 2010 was nothing but first class, and I am both excited and humbled to have the chance to put on the USA Baseball uniform once again. I look forward to putting together a talented staff and representing this great country next year."

Over 17 seasons at the Division I level, dating back to the start of his coaching career at Cerritos College in 1998 and including stints at Tennessee, UC Irvine and Fullerton, Serrano has secured 16 postseason bids and has tutored 161 draft picks. Seven of the picks were first-round selections and 23 ultimately reached the Major League level. Serrano has coached 19 players that have starred for USA Baseball National Teams, including Todd Helton and Christian Colon, and he is one of just 11 head coaches ever to lead two teams to the College World Series in Omaha (UC Irvine, 2007; Cal State Fullerton, 2009).

The 2012 Collegiate National Team schedule and the remainder of the coaching staff are currently being finalized. An announcement will be made prior to the end of the year and details will be available on www.USABaseball.com. In 2011, the Collegiate team finished with an 11-2-1 record, and its season was highlighted by a 3-1-1 series win over Japan in the two counties' bi-annual collegiate all-star friendship series.

About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the National Governing Body of amateur baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic Team and World Cup Team (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 16U and 14U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women's National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit www.USABaseball.com and www.GoldenSpikesAward.com.

University of Tennessee head baseball coach Dave Serrano put the finishing touches on his staff on Monday, hiring Kenny Gajewski (pronounced `GUY'-eh-ski') as the director of baseball operations.

Gajewski will be responsible for managing all baseball camps, oversight of student managers, serving as an academic liaison to the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center and the overall operations of the baseball program.

"I have been affiliated with Kenny for many years as he is both a former player and good friend of mine and I could not be happier to have him on board here at Tennessee," Serrano said. "He is a very intelligent young man that will bring organization and class to our baseball program."

A former pupil of Serrano's at Cerritos Junior College, Gajewski also played with UT associate head coach Greg Bergeron at both Cerritos and Cal State Dominquez Hills before transferring to Oklahoma where he helped the Sooners claim the 1994 national championship.

"When Coach Serrano contacted me and asked if this was something I would be interested in, it was an easy decision for me to make," Gajewski said. "To have the opportunity to work with these coaches, guys I would call best friends and family, was an absolute no-brainer. I am totally thrilled and feel that we truly have a chance to do something special here in Knoxville."

Following his playing days, Gajewski served as a graduate assistant for the Sooners in 1995 and as a volunteer assistant at Kansas State in 1996. He then returned to OU as the university's athletic turf and maintenance director in 1997.

In that role, Gajewski was responsible for maintaining all of the athletic fields and outdoor facilities while supervising a crew of seven full-time grounds workers and five full-time maintenance workers. In 2001, the field at OU's L. Dale Mitchell Park was named the Beam Clay Baseball Diamond of the Year. That same season, the OU Softball Complex was presented the Field Maintenance Award by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and TURFACE sports field products.

Since 2007, Gajewski has been the owner and operator of three Norman, Okla.-based turf business - Champions Athletic Turf (athletic field renovation), Sooner Curb and Border (decorative concrete) and Ameriturf MidSouth (synthetic turf).

A native of Los Alamitos, Calif., Gajewski is a lifelong friend of Bergeron's, having played on numerous Little League teams together before their time at both Cerritos JC and Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Gajewski married the former Kristen Clifford of Oklahoma City in January 2002. The couple has a son, Preston (5) and a daughter, Logan (6 months).

For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee baseball, visit UTSports.com or follow @Vol_Baseball on Twitter.

BY DREW EDWARDS
UTSports.com

KNOXVILLE -- Most folks in East Tennessee were asleep. Most working folks back in Orange County, California, probably were, too.

Around 2 a.m. last Thursday, Dave Serrano wasn't in his bed back in Fullerton. He wasn't snoozing at the McGhee-Tyson airport Hilton, either. His wife and three boys had just arrived on a long-delayed flight from California, but Serrano didn't take them to the hotel.

He loaded them in the car and drove them 15 minutes to the Tennessee campus.

"This is the kid in me," Serrano said, sitting behind his new desk inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium shortly after arriving Thursday morning. "We got out of the airport last night at 1:30. Their (connecting) flight was delayed out of Atlanta because of a storm. I put them in the car, and we were walking the grounds at 2 in the morning.

"I don't take anything for granted. I'm very proud of this. I was proud for them to actually see the inside and know that this is our home now."

A little less than nine hours later, Serrano and his family arrived back at the ballpark -- in the daylight this time -- for an introductory press conference. That introduction and an afternoon filled with more interviews, capped a whirlwind 48 hours that began with a job interview and ended with Serrano becoming the Vols' 24th baseball coach.

As Serrano stood behind a podium inside Lindsey Nelson Stadium last Thursday afternoon, his career completed a nice, tidy loop.

Sixteen years ago, he left Knoxville to rejoin his alma mater, Cal State Fullerton, as an assistant coach. Shortly after noon last Wednesday, Serrano accepted an offer to leave Fullerton, where he was 175-73 with a trip to the College World Series in four seasons as head coach, to take over Tennessee's program.

It took 15 baseball seasons to return to Tennessee, but once his plane touched down, the path was pretty direct.

Serrano arrived in Knoxville a little before 4 p.m. local time on Tuesday to interview with members of UT's search committee. The first meeting took place at his hotel at 8:30 that night and lasted around two hours.

Serrano woke up at 6:30 the next morning -- with his body still running on Pacific time -- in advance of a meeting with Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and interim vice chancellor / director of athletics Joan Cronan.

"I probably had a little red in my eyes, and I apologized to them for that, that it was the fatigue and losing hours, but I wasn't making excuses," Serrano said.

Red-eyed or not, Serrano impressed in his early morning meeting.

"I had a very pleasurable meeting with Chancellor Cheek and got to know what he was about... He assured me with all confidence that the new athletic director would be something that I'm proud of. I have all the confidence in the world in his direction to bring in the right guy."

By 9:30 a.m., Serrano was touring campus facilities with assistant media relations director Cameron Harris after having met with UT's academic support staff at the Thornton Center at his hotel.

While Serrano was touring campus, the committee was deliberating. The coach was busy dreaming. During a visit to Neyland Stadium, his thoughts went back to the mid-90's when he was an assistant coach. He remembered gameday and got goosebumps thinking about sharing it with his family, he said.

By noon, Serrano was back at his hotel accepting Cronan's job offer.

"I told them it would be an honor," he said, "and I would be proud to accept the position."

wo of the biggest moments in Serrano's career have been followed by silence.

After Cal State Fullerton defeated Texas to claim the 2004 national championship, Serrano soon found himself alone in a hotel room. His son Kyle was out running around with the other Titans batboys. His wife, Tracy, who was working as a wedding planner at the time, was on her way back to California for a job.

Alone with his thoughts, Fullerton's accomplishment washed over him.

"I'll never forget the emotions of, 'Oh my gosh, I was just part of a national championship team,' " Serrano said. "It just hit me."

Early Wednesday afternoon, Serrano had the same feeling. Tracy and the three boys were on a plane from California. The coach was alone again in a hotel room.

"The whirlwind was over of being carted here and there and I realized, I'm the head baseball coach at the University of Tennessee," Serrano said. "It just hit me how honored I was.

"It kind of just goes to show how proud I am to have this job -- I compare it to maybe the greatest moment I've ever had in my professional career, and that's winning the national championship."

That's the goal for Serrano's return to Knoxville. But there's plenty of work to be done to get there. With that in mind, Serrano began calling recruits and current players as soon as he had been approved to do so by UT's compliance staff late Wednesday evening.

His first call went to Diane Betts, whose son Mookie Betts, a shortstop from Nashville and a fifth-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in this year's MLB draft, signed with the Vols this spring. The calls continued through the night and into Wednesday morning.

"I wish I could see them all and look them straight in the face. I think my message will come across a lot clearer that way than on a phone," Serrano said. "But each young man I'm talking to or leaving messages for, I'm just assuring them that their experience under my guidance will be very rewarding and something they'll always cherish. I'm going to take care of them. I'm going to mentor them, and I'm going to coach them up. I told them within time, we'll feel a lot more comfortable with each other."

As for Serrano, he feels plenty comfortable in Knoxville. Standing behind that podium at 2 p.m. last Thursday, he couldn't help but feel the energy and enthusiasm in the MVP Room.

"It's a day that I'll never forget in my coaching career," he said, "and the only better one that I can forsee out in the future is the day that we get this program to Omaha."

ust before hopping on the elevator to leave the baseball offices with his family late Thursday afternoon, Serrano was asked if he'd like to keep the prop jersey he posed with during his press conference.

The color was right, but the number wasn't his style. Neither, it turns out, was the name stitched across the shoulders. On his own lineup card, Serrano's not No. 1. And as he revealed during his press conference, it's so important that his team plays for the name on the front of its jersey that it won't have names on the back.

Serrano politely accepted the jersey as a memento, but it's not something he'll hang on his office wall. Even though his path to Tennessee was circuitous, his philosophy hasn't shifted much at all. It's always been about working hard and caring about character.

There's no doubt that Serrano's ultimate destination for the Vols is Omaha and the College World Series. There's also an equal certainty that the route is every bit as important.

"It's not the destination, it's the journey that we're going to go through together," Serrano said. "We have a final destination. But it's how we handle the journey along the way that will probably allow us to get to our destination quicker."

Follow the Vols on Twitter @Vol_Sports and UT Baseball @Vol_Baseball.