July 2, 2007

LUBBOCK, Texas - Dan Spencer, who helped orchestrate back-to-back national championships at Oregon State, and Trent Petrie have been named assistant coaches for Texas Tech Baseball. The announcement was made today by Texas Tech Head Coach Larry Hays.

The new additions will complete a previously announced reorganization of the baseball staff that was released back in late May. Spencer will be titled Associate Head Coach and will be responsible for pitching/catching coaching duties and will also serve as the recruiting coordinator. Petrie will serve as the infield coach and also assist in the recruiting efforts. Daren Hays has been reassigned to the director of operations position. Lance Brown, who has served as the volunteer assistant for the last two seasons, will continue in that role.

Dan Spencer, one of the most highly touted assistant coaches in the country, makes a return to the South Plains after earning three varsity letters as a Red Raider infielder between 1985 and 1987. Spencer, 41, has spent the last 11 seasons in Corvallis and the last three years as associate head coach where he has served as pitching/catching coach and recruiting coordinator. His pitching staff's over the last two seasons were instrumental in helping the Beavers become the first back-to-back College World Series Champions since LSU in the late 1990's.

"We are excited to name Dan Spencer as our Associate Head Coach in charge of pitching/catching and recruiting coordinator," said Texas Tech Head Coach Larry Hays. "His background has pointed out the fact that he is qualified in all three areas. His ability to recruit outstanding pitchers and catchers is well documented as can easily be seen this year by having two first round picks in both positions."

Over the last two seasons, his staff's have compiled 3.41 and 3.48 cumulative ERA's while leading the team to 50-16 and 49-18 respective records. His group led the Pac-10 in ERA in both 2005 and 2006 while his bullpen helped pave the way to back-to-back national titles by contributing 20-plus saves in both 2006 and 2007. Under his leadership, the Beavers have had three pitchers and one catcher named to All-America teams and seven drafted in the top 10 rounds of the MLB Draft. Eddie Kunz, the ace of the 2007 staff, and catcher Mitch Canhan, the squad's leading hitter, were both first round draft selections in this year's draft.

Spencer, a native of Vancouver, Wash, played three seasons at Texas Tech (two under Gary Ashby and one under Larry Hays) after transferring from Mesa Junior College in San Diego. During his career he played in 118 games (mostly at third base) and compiled a .251 career average. He completed his degree in history at Portland State in 1990 and went on to coach at Tacoma Community College and Green River Community College. He and his wife Susie have three children: Wade (12), Logan (8) and Elizabeth (3).

Trent Petrie also makes a return to the Hub City and back to Texas Tech where he played one season for the Red Raiders back in 1992. Since leaving Texas Tech after the `92 season he finished his degree and his playing career at Lubbock Christian University.

"With Trent, we are getting another outstanding recruiter who has experience in junior college, NAIA and Division I," said Hays. "He is well known as a tireless recruiter and we feel that with Dan and Trent in these two positions and Daren in operations, we will have an outstanding staff."

Petrie, 36, brings with him 12 years of coaching experience and comes to Tech after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of New Mexico. While at New Mexico, Petrie served as the hitting coach and helped place multiple Lobos into the Mountain West Conference's Top-10 offensive rankings.

Prior to his stint at New Mexico, he served under former Red Raider assistants Frank Anderson and Greg Evans as the Director of Baseball Operations at Oklahoma State University. He brings along three years of head coaching experience as he led Clarendon College as the skipper between 2001 and 2003. After starting the baseball program at Clarendon, he helped lead the team to the WJCAC Northern Division Championship (2003) in just three seasons. He served as an assistant coach at Hill Junior College between 1997 and 1999 and at Wayland Baptist in 1995 and 1996.

Petrie graduated from Lubbock Christian University in 1993 and then earned his master's degree from Wayland Baptist in 1996. He and his wife Kimberly have two daughters, Summer (13), Payge (9) and a son, Easton (1).

PLAYER QUOTES
Junior RHP AJ Ramos on Dan Spencer
"Coach Spencer obviously has a lot of experience and is well qualified. To go out and win the College World Series back-to-back is impressive. With him and Coach Hays and all they know about the game, I think that knowledge will be good for our team. With them behind us we should have a lot of confidence."

Junior RHP Miles Morgan on Dan Spencer
"Coach Spencer has two national championships and that speaks for itself. It will be a great opportunity for all of us pitchers to learn from him and see the game from his point of view."

Junior First Baseman James Leverton on Trent Petrie
"Coach Petrie recruited me when he was Oklahoma State so I have a little background with him. He is a guy that just really enjoys the game of baseball and that's important. I think he is someone who can come in here and help us turn things around in the right direction. It will be a lot of fun to play for him and I think the rest of the guys will respond to him."

Sophomore Infielder Chris Hall on Trent Petrie
"I am excited to have him here. He's a guy that can help us get things turned around. He is an outstanding coach or he wouldn't have got the job. I am really excited about the chance to get to play for him."

PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Texas Tech Head Coach Larry Hays
Before I get started here, I want to intro Suzie, Dan's wife. She's the one who was brave enough to come down here. I'm not worried about Dan, once he gets out on the baseball field he'll be fine.

We're also gracious to Kim Petrie, who's not here. She's busy starting her new job out here in Lubbock, as a councilor at the Lubbock Independent School District.

I have a lot of respect for Dan Spencer and for Trent Petrie for three areas. One area, both of these guys played for me and they were hard nosed players. They are what you call baseball players. They knew how to wear a uniform and they usually kept it dirty, even before the game started. They were the kind of guys that dived and you never did see one of these two guys hit a pop up and just jog to first. I have always respected them for the type of players they were.

I also respect them as family people and family men. Dan and Suzie have three children and Trent and Kim have three. And then I respect both guys because of their careers. I don't think I'm exaggerating if I said that Dan Spencer is the best pitching coach in America. We've been playing Oregon State for years. Every time we faced them you could see them getting a little better every year. Then they turn the pitching over to this guy and they make three trips in a row (to the College World Series).

And the same thing for Trent, Trent is a recruiter. When we were talking about him coming here and I kind of had the idea of him being an administrative guy and he said, "Coach, I want to recruit. That's what I do best. You sit around and look at his cell phone messages; you know that is what he's doing

So that is why these guys are here today.

Dan Spencer, Texas Tech Associate Head Coach
It funny how things happen and how life works, I feel like I've come full circle here. I've only worn two Division I baseball uniforms in my life, one was here at Texas Tech and the other was at Oregon State. Today is a very special day for me and my wife. Without her and her support there would have been no shot that we would have come to Lubbock. I asked her if she would have any interest in coming to Lubbock and she said yes I would.

I'm real appreciative of coach Hays for having me. I'm real fortunate to be here with Daren, Petrie, and Coach Brown. You don't coach unless you have players; you've got no shot without ponies. The goal is, the guys they have here, I'm anxious to work with them and the guys they don't have yet, I'm anxious to find them and get them here. That's the job, a simple job and it's a hard job any where you are but it's a simple job. To find the best players, get them into school and get them a degree and to coach them up, that's what I'm here to do.

On What He Loved About Texas Tech and Lubbock
What I loved about Lubbock was first of all I got to be coached by coach Gary Ashby, who I saw here earlier today, and coach Hays So there's a lot of advantages from being able to do both of those things. You learn different things from different people. You learn something from anyone you have ever played for and anyone you have ever coached. I really enjoyed the town. I enjoyed my team mates; I still talk to some of them.

What he knows about Tech's current team?
As far as work we need to work on our earned run average, its not where we want it to be. I don't know a lot about the roster, I know some. I've talked to Daren many times and I've asked him a lot of questions and he's filled me in on the guys we have back and the holes we need to fill in the next recruiting class we have coming in. I'm hoping that in the next week I get a chance to meet with Coach Ashby's son, Taylor and Miles (Morgan) and some of the other players. I don't know a lot about the guys yet, I know some.

Did you ever expect to come back to Tech?
At the time no, I didn't have any idea I would ever come back. Of course when your 21 years old your not really worried about anything except the next day. It's funny where life takes you.

What are your expectations over the next couple of years?
With out working out with the kids and seeing what they got, It would be hard to saw what my expectations for the team next season would be. I'm going to go into '08 and expecting them to be good. And then when I see what I have I will be able to qualify what those goals are.

Trent Petrie, Assistant Coach
First of all I would like to thank Coach Hays for giving me this opportunity. I never really in my wildest dreams would have thought I would be able to come back to Lubbock. Having coached junior college in the area and having been at Oklahoma State and then at the University of New Mexico, we took some pretty good beatings out on the field and I'm ready to return the favor to those other clubs.

I'm extremely excited about the opportunity and I'm just excited to get back out there and represent Texas Tech. I've been out for two weeks recruiting and I will be the first to tell you, this has been the talk of the country right now. I've seen it first hand. I've been to three different states and what Spencer brings to this program; you can't put a measuring stick on it.

It's a great time for this program and this university and I'm extremely excited about getting this program back to where I know that this university, the city of Lubbock and Coach Hays want it.