In the 1998 College World Series finale, Mike Gillespie signaled for his runner to steal home. The college baseball world watched as Morgan Ensberg broke for the plate with two strikes on the batter, and two outs and the bases loaded in the seventh inning.
As history tells us, Ensberg slid safely across the plate and Gillespie etched his name into college baseball folklore.
He trusted his instincts, and it brought the national title home to USC where he was the coach at that time.
“Skip” as I knew him, would tell you that was the most gratifying moment of his storied career.
The Legend
Skip’s career is decorated with moments like that all over Southern California. He won 763 games in his 20 years at the helm for the Trojans, and coached 42 All-Americans, 15 Freshman All-Americans and nine Pac-10 Players/Pitchers of the Year. He also coached 30 major leaguers, including MLB All-Stars Mark Prior, Barry Zito, Geoff Jenkins and Aaron and Bret Boone.
A four-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year, in 2000 he added USA National Team head coach to his resume. Not to mention, Skip is one of only two men to play on, in 1961, and coach, in 1998, a College World Series championship team with the same program.
Even with all his accolades and accomplishments, Skip never wanted to be a celebrity. He was the definition of humility and class.
Winning Ways
Skip grew up in Hawthorne where he was an all-state baseball and football player at Hawthorne High School. He played as an outfielder at USC; he didn’t play professional ball. After being a high school baseball coach for a few years, College of the Canyons hired him to start its baseball program in 1971.
“In short order, he turned the new Canyons program into a juggernaut, winning three state titles, 11 conference championships, and 420 games,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
USC dismissed Gillespie at the age of 66 and because he wasn’t ready to retire, he went on to coach a minor league team—the Staten Island Yankees. Then he wanted to get back to college ball.
I told anyone who asked back in the fall of 2007 that Skip would be an incredible hire for the Anteaters. His resume read like a highlight reel: five Pac-10 titles, 14 NCAA Regional appearances, four College World Series berths and that 1998 CWS title.
After he began in 2008, his winning ways continued at UCI where with 393 victories, Gillespie is the winningest baseball coach in the university’s history. He led the ‘Eaters to five NCAA Regional appearances, including a trip to the College World Series in 2014, and recorded at least 30 wins every season at Irvine.
The Irvine Chapter
I was thrilled for Gillespie to take the reins at UC Irvine, and I am grateful for every moment I had with the Skipper. A couple years ago, Skip invited me to a practice, not to watch or observe, but to take the field with his team. Though many years their senior, Skip pushed me to keep up with the ‘Eaters, and I remember the grass stains like it was yesterday.
He demanded perfection and accepted nothing less. Known for being tough, his players respected his high expectations.
As anyone knows who has been around his practices, players were never allowed to walk on the field. Whether it was after class, on the way to practice, arriving for a game, everyone had to hustle.
And hustle he did. Skip always made time for donors and had a special way of giving us insight into his philosophy and program, always impressing upon us the importance of his players seeing baseball at the highest level—not just to make them better players, but to make them better men. He was a phenomenal coach, and an even greater mentor.
“Mike’s attitude about life was one where when the game began, it was a game to be won and a strategy to be had,” Scott Boras, founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, the Newport Beach sports agency that represents many star professional athletes, told me for this Leader Board.
“Every player that he coached had to execute to make sure that the strategy worked, and often that required adjustment, change and a real understanding of someone’s character. Mike had a way of making sure that a player’s character was known and defined, and it never surprised me that he was a champion wherever he was a coach,” Boras said.
The Teacher
Always offering anecdotes, Skip always told a story with an underlying lesson. It’s one of the things that set him apart as a leader in the dugout, in the community and in the world of collegiate sports.
“Mike is the guy that had so many gears,” said Boras. “He was a great coach, great evaluator of players and was very knowledgeable in aiding how to help me improve the players that I represent.
“He was a person, because he was so confident in what he did, that he had a spirit and character that allowed him to be such a giving soul to everyone else.”
Named Coach of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in 2014, Gillespie turned a three-year UCI deal into 11, and suited up at Cicerone Field until he was 78. While his Hall of Fame career speaks for itself, his greatest legacy perhaps, was off the field.
All in the Family
One of the greatest examples of his legend came in 2015 when grandson Cole Kreuter laced up for the Anteaters. Cole chose to play for UC Irvine and chose to play for his grandfather, a decision that made Gillespie so proud. Skip always stressed the importance of things like family and academics. Cole’s senior year with the ‘Eaters would also be Gillespie’s last.
After Gillespie retired in 2018, new head coach Ben Orloff kept Skip’s nameplate in his office as a reminder of the kind of leader he strives to be.
UCI pitching coach Danny Bibona also honored his mentor in a lasting way, giving his son the middle name “Skip.”
The Hall of Famer
He was named Big West Coach of the Year in 2009 when he guided the ‘Eaters to the conference title. Gillespie led the Anteaters to five postseason appearances, including regional titles in 2008, 2011 and 2014.
The American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer amassed a 1,156-886-2 record overall in 31 seasons as a Division I head coach. UCI retired his number 19 in 2018.
Skip gave countless student-athletes a home in his program.
And he is finally home, himself.
Gillespie died at his Irvine home in July following complications from lung issues and a stroke. He was 80 years old.
Skip, you will be greatly missed.
Editor’s Note: Jim Mazzo, a UCI Trustee, is one of the Business Journal’s 50 most influential executives for his leadership in Orange County’s healthcare space. A memorial service for Skip is tentatively set for early next year.
