Rick Barnes to Jeremy Pruitt: Tennessee Vols 10 notable 2010s coaching hires

We go to another hire that was bad with the benefit of hindsight. But at the time, there is no denying that Tennessee baseball made one of the best hires on paper they could have possible made. Don’t forget where Dave Serrano came from.

Serrano had taken two smaller schools out west to the College World Series, first the UC Irvine Anteaters in 2007, his third year on the job, and then the Cal State Fullerton Titans in 2009, his second year on the job. In four years at Cal State Fullerton, he also won three conference titles, all of them in years he didn’t reach the CWS.

Meanwhile, he had made six straight NCAA Tournaments, including the final two of his three years at UC Irvine and all four years at Cal State Fullerton. So he arrived on Rocky Top with a stellar resume that made him the perfect hire.

This is the one Tennessee Vols move Joan Cronan made as the program was in a period of transition. And Cronan did what she was supposed to do in finding by far the most qualified person on paper to take this job. So we’re not going to blame her with how it worked out.

Serrano brought in talent, but his small-ball style of play combined with his lack of recruiting prowess in SEC Country did him in. He had some solid seasons, but he just wasn’t the right fit for the Vols.

As a result, Serrano resigned after six years on the job. The lesson in this was Tennessee baseball needed to hire somebody who had an understanding of the league and a style that would work. But nobody could have seen that coming at the time Cronan made the hire. Again, on paper, it was a stellar move.