Baseball | July 03, 2022
ANGELS – Andy Stankiewicz, former Major League Baseball player and longtime Grand Canyon coach, has been named USC baseball’s head coach, Trojan Athletic Director Mike Bohn announced today (July 3).
Stankiewicz, who also spent time as a professional scout and minor league manager, comes to USC after 11 successful seasons at the Grand Canyon during which he won five Western Athletic Conference regular-season titles (2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022) and was named conference coach of the year four times (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022).
“We are thrilled to welcome Andy Stankiewicz to the Trojan family as the new head baseball coach,” Bohn said. “A former MLB player and talented coach, Andy has a proven track record of creating a winning program. Playing seven seasons in MLB, he understands what it takes to compete at the highest level. Andy’s leadership, relationship building skills and player development make him an ideal candidate to lead our program. Additionally, his integrity and commitment to student-athletes aligns perfectly with our vision and guiding principles. He comes to USC highly recommended and respected by members of the baseball community, and we have the utmost confidence that he will elevate our baseball program to the national level again. »
“I’m thrilled to be the next head coach of the nation’s most prestigious baseball program, the University of Southern California,” said Stankiewicz, who has a career record of 341-239-2 (.588 ). “I want to thank you Mike Bohn and (sports administrator) Lindsay Jaffé for entrusting me with the development of our young men to be champions on and off the pitch. Our program will be one that represents the Trojan family well and makes our alumni proud. Fight!”
Stankiewicz guided the Grand Canyon to its first-ever NCAA Division I playoff appearance in 2021 after the Lopes won the WAC Tournament, then led the program to its first-ever overall Division I offer last season. .
In 2022, Grand Canyon won 41 games, finished the regular season with three straight weeks in D1Baseball.com’s Top-25 Poll, and won a second consecutive WAC title. The Lopes’ strong resume earned them an overall NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in program history and the first time by a WAC school since 2012. GCU had one of the strongest non-conference schedules in the nation and recorded wins over top 10 teams at Oregon State, Stanford and Texas Tech. The Lopes were a No. 3 seed in the Stillwater Regional.
In 2021, Stankiewicz and the Lopes made it through the WAC Tournament and earned a spot in the Tucson Regional this postseason. Stankiewicz led the Lopes to 39 wins while recording a personal milestone by winning his 300th match on May 29 in the WAC Tournament Championship.
After a pair of successful seasons at Division II level in 2012 and 2013, Stankiewicz successfully guided GCU through a transition to Division I level. the program won the WAC regular season championships in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
Stankiewicz is one of the most respected coaches in the college baseball landscape, as evidenced by his multiple selections to lead USA Baseball’s national teams in international competition. He was a head coach at the 18U level and an assistant with the collegiate national team and the 17U national team development program. Stankiewicz has helped 18U teams win gold medals at both the 2017 Baseball World Cup and the 2014 COPABE Pan Am Games.
Stankiewicz’s impressive player development resume is highlighted by the fact that in his time as GCU head coach, 21 Lopes were selected in the MLB Draft, with six selections to come. in the first 10 rounds. Fifty Lopes earned all-conference honors during Stankiewicz’s tenure, including 30 with the first team. It has produced five conference players/pitchers/freshmen of the year, nine all-region winners, and five All-Americans.
GCU has had multiple players selected in three of the last four MLB drafts (the 2020 draft was shortened to five rounds) and the Lopes have had at least one MLB draft in 10 of Stankiewicz’s 11 seasons at the closed off. Under his guidance, right-handed pitcher Jake Wong became GCU’s top draft pick since Tim Salmon (1989), advancing to the third round (80th overall) of the 2018 draft. The Lopes also tied a high program with five rookies in 2019.
Prior to his time at the Grand Canyon, Stankiewicz served as the minor league field coordinator for the Seattle Mariners. Prior to his stint with the Mariners, he was a member of Arizona State’s baseball coaching staff from 2007 to 2009. He helped guide the Sun Devils to three Pac-10 championships and two College World Series appearances. .
Stankiewicz also brings professional coaching experience, having served as manager of the New York Yankees NY-Penn League team at Staten Island. He guided Staten Island to the NY-Penn League Championship in 2005.
A longtime underdog due to his undersized 5-foot-9 frame, Stankiewicz had a highly successful collegiate career at Pepperdine before spending six years in the minors to play seven MLB seasons.
Stankiewicz was selected by the New York Yankees in the 12th round of the 1986 MLB Draft and went on to play with the Yankees (1992-93), Houston Astros (1994-95), Montreal Expos (1996- 97) and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ inaugural season (1998) during his tenure in MLB.
He was paired with Buck Showalter at three different stops during his minor league run, so when Showalter, the Yankees’ new manager, needed an infield backup, he tapped into his personal confidence. in Stankiewicz and called him up for his MLB debut on April 11, 1992.
Stankiewicz played 16 games with the Yankees in 1993 before being traded to the Astros the following offseason. He spent two years with Houston and two years with the Montreal Expos before landing in Phoenix with the Diamondbacks in 1998. In what would be his final major season, Stankiewicz played 77 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks by Showalter. With more than 1,000 chances on the field, Stankiewicz has committed just 20 errors in seven years – a career percentage of .980.
A standout infielder at Pepperdine, Stankiewicz ranks in the school’s top 10 in runs scored (172), at-bats (755), walks (121), stolen bases (101) and stolen base percentage (.828). During his four-year career with the Waves, Stankiewicz helped Pepperdine earn two NCAA regional appearances and a WCC championship.
He is a Southern California native, born in Inglewood and attending St. Paul HS in Santa Fe Springs, where he also played football.
What they say…
“Andy Stankiewcz is the right person for the job. He has been a winner at every level, is a terrific teacher of the game, has demonstrated the ability to recruit talented players with high character, and is a great leader who possesses the highest level of His resume of success as a college player , major league player, minor league manager, college coach and manager of the American team has shown that he can win at all levels and develop talent on and off the court. greatness, and I can’t wait to see its results.”
Damon Oppenheimer
New York Yankees National Scouting Vice President
“The connection between USA Baseball and USC Baseball goes back decades, beginning with Olympic and collegiate coaching legend Rod Dedeaux. Since Rod led the 1984 Olympic team in Los Angeles, many Trojans, players and coaches, have worn the red, white and blue and represented the United States on the world stage. That tradition continues with the appointment of Andy Stankiewicz as the next head coach of USC’s baseball program. We may be biased, but it would be hard to find a better teacher. , coach and leader of young men in a baseball program, that Andy. It may be college baseball’s offseason, but USC is coming off a win. A very big victory. Beat you !”
Paul Seiller
USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO
USC baseball tradition…
Stankiewicz takes over a USC baseball program with an unmatched tradition. The Trojans have won a total of 12 national championships (double that of the next closest NCAA program), appeared in the College World Series 21 times and sent more players to the big leagues than any other school, with a total of 118 major leagues.
