Beavers Pitching Coach Returns to Texas Tech

Dan Spencer spent 11 seasons at Oregon State.

Photo: OSU Athletics

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Dan Spencer has resigned as associate head coach on Oregon State’s baseball staff to accept a similar position at Texas Tech, OSU head coach Pat Casey announced Monday.

Spencer played for the Red Raiders under current head coach Larry Hays, and the position at Texas Tech comes with the possibility that Spencer could be elevated to head coach whenever Hays may step down.

Spencer, 41, spent 11 seasons at Oregon State. He came to OSU for the 1997 season after five seasons as head coach at Green River Community College.

“In the coaching world, changes happen but the friendships last a lifetime,” Casey said. “Dan and I have had a lot of good times together and traveled a lot of miles together, and those are things I’ll miss.

“While we will definitely miss his contributions to our program, we realize that this is a great professional opportunity for Dan. He has the chance to perhaps become the head coach at the Division I program where he played his college baseball, and that’s something not many people find themselves able to do. We wish Dan the very best of luck at Texas Tech, and myself, our players and alumni, and the rest of Beaver Nation will always be appreciative of the work he put in and what he helped us accomplish here.”

Said Spencer: “This wasn’t an easy decision. Oregon State is a great place to coach and Corvallis is a great place to live. Pat Casey gave me my first opportunity to coach at the Division I level and we developed a terrific friendship; I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had at OSU and the things I’ve learned. I’m a Northwest guy (from Vancouver, Wash.) and it’s been very, very satisfying to help build a program that has won a pair of national championships with Northwest guys.

“But there’s something about going back to where you played that’s very special to anyone, and when you couple that with the chance that I could become the head coach there, that’s something I couldn’t pass up.”

OSU hopes to announce a new addition to its coaching staff soon.

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