USD Baseball 1999

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1999 Torero Baseball USD Coaching Staff

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#8

Chris Cannizzaro Assistant Coach

First Season

Chris Cannizzaro brings a wealth ofmajor league experience to USD head coach Rich Hill's staff. No stranger to baseball in the city of San Diego, Cannizzaro spent 13 years in the majors - including two stints with the San Diego Padres, where he became the first All-Star in Padre baseball history in the 1969 campaign. A durable defensive catcher, Cannizzaro played in 740 major league games while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals (1960-61), New York Mets (1962-65), Pittsburgh (1968), San Diego (1969-71 ; 1974), Chicago Cubs (1971) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1972-73). Cannizzaro holds a share of the Major League record for most unassisted double plays by a catcher (2). Once his playing career ended, Cannizzaro shifted his focus to coaching and spent three seasons (1976-78) with the Atlanta Braves organization before coaching in the California Angels organization from 1979-82 in the Class A Cal State League. Cannizzaro has two sons - Chris Jr. and Ken, and a daughter, Kimberlee. Chris Jr. was a two-time All– America selection at San Diego State where he was a teammate ofUSD head coach Rich Hill for one season. Cannizzaro also has three stepdaughters - Marcia, Tricia and Jennifer. Aside from his lifelong passion for the game of baseball, Cannizzaro also enjoys golf and spending time with his four grandchildren - Brittney (11 ), Morgan (7), Zachary (6) and Cassidy (3) . Cannizzaro and his wife, Janice, reside in San Diego.

#37 Rick Hirtensteiner First Season Assistant Coach Pepperdine, 1989 Rick Hirtensteiner brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience in his first year at the University of San Diego under head coach, Rich Hill. Hirtensteiner ended a stellar playing career at Pepperdine in 1989 when he was named First Team All– America, West Coast Conference Player of the Year and WCC Scholar Athlete of the Year. He gained international playing experience as a member of USA Baseball team which won the silver medal at the 1987 Pan American Games. Hirtensteiner was drafted in the eighth round by the California Angels and reached the AAA level in the Montreal Expos organization. Hirtensteiner began his collegiate coaching career at Lamar University in 1995 as a volunteer instructor for outfielders and hitters, while working on his Master's in Business Administration (1997). After completing his MBA, he returned to his alma mater as a volunteer hitting instructor for the Waves. Hirtensteiner gained additional coaching experience when he served as pitching coach for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Summer League in 1998.

#34

Sean Kenny Assistant Coach

First Season Eastern Michigan, 1997

Sean Kenny begins his first year at the University of San Diego on head coach Rich Hill's staff. Kenny pitched for three years at Eastern Michigan University, where he completed a Bachelor's degree in English Literature with a minor in coaching in 1997. Kenny was drafted by the Mets and played for three seasons in the New York system. No stranger to baseball in the West Coast Conference, Kenny began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Saint Mary's College, where he worked with the Gaels pitching staff in 1996-97. In 1997-98 he served as pitching coach at Laney Community College. Kenny is currently completing his Master's degree in Physical Education at Saint Mary's. Kenny's younger brother, Seth, also pitched for Eastern Michigan and currently plays in the Oakland A's minor league system.