The Nevada Wolf Pack baseball team is now looking for a new pitching coach for just the second time in the last two decades.Stan Stolte, the Wolf Pack's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator since 1997, accepted the same position at UNLV on Monday and will be announced as the newest member of Tim Chambers' Rebel staff as soon as today.
"They (Chambers and Stolte) formed a close relationship through recruiting through the years," Wolf Pack coach Gary Powers said Tuesday. "He (Chambers) always told Stan that when he (Chambers) became a head coach, Stan would be one of the first guys he'd talk to about joining his staff. He (Chambers), in fact, called me first to ask permission to talk to Stan about the position. I told him of course he could. It is a great opportunity for Stan."
Stolte, who also spent six years as Pacific's pitching coach (1991-1996), replaced John Savage (1992-1996) as the Pack's pitching coach. Savage is the current head coach at UCLA.
"We talked about it (Stolte accepting the job at UNLV) for hours," Powers said. "And when we were done he said, 'I don't want to lose a great friend because of this.' I just told him, 'That will never happen.' "We have a tremendous friendship that will never go away. This is just an opportunity that Stan couldn't pass up. He's going to help himself and his family financially. I'm very happy for him."
Stolte's departure means the Pack will have had to replace an entire coaching staff under Powers over the past year. Hitting coach and first base coach Gary McNamara and third base coach and infield coach Jay Uhlman left after the 2009 season. McNamara is currently an assistant at Damonte Ranch High School and Uhlman is an assistant at the University of Oregon.
Powers said he has already received numerous inquiries about the opening on his staff. Powers said the Wolf Pack will hire a new pitching coach but Stolte's recruiting coordinator duties could go to someone (Chris Pfatenhauer or Kevin Tucker) currently on staff. Pfatenhauer is a former UNLV student, Las Vegas-area high school coach and College of Southern Nevada coach.
"That (recruiting coordinator) could go to someone internally," Powers said. "Those duties might be moved around a little. We'll see." Pfatenhauer and Tucker, Powers said, are currently in the process of finalizing the recruiting process for the program's 2011 recruits and formulating a list of possible 2012 recruits. The Pack coaching staff will also run its annual summer camps starting on Monday at Peccole Park.
"It's been crazy," Powers said. "I've already had so many phone calls about this job. There's a lot of people that want to go to work. We're still in the middle of recruiting, we have our camps next week, so I still have a job to do. A lot of people are interested in this. We have a good team coming back and people know that. And this is a great job."
The Wolf Pack, which has not qualified for the NCAA Regionals since 2000, finished 36-22 in 2010 and in second place in the Western Athletic Conference.The Pack pitching staff thrived under Stolte's guidance this past season. The Pack finished second in the WAC in earned run average (5.21) and first in the conference in complete games (seven), opponents batting average (.278) and fewest hit by pitches (35) and wild pitches (25).
The Pack was also second in the WAC in shutouts (four) and saves (17).Stolte's pitching staff featured four of the top pitchers in the WAC in earned run average in Brock Stassi (7-4, 3.43), Tom Jameson (6-1, 3.84), Jeremy Cole (4-3, 4.95) and Chris Garcia (6-3, 5.07). Stassi was also named the WAC's Pitcher of the Year this season, the second Pack pitcher to earn that honor (Ryan Rodriguez, 2007) under Stolte.
With Stolte on staff, the Pack qualified for three NCAA Regionals (1997, 1999, 2000) and sent nearly three dozen pitchers to professional baseball. Darrell Rasner (2000-2002), Chad Qualls (1999-2000) and Eddie Bonine (2003) have all advanced to the major leagues after pitching for Stolte at Nevada. While at Pacific, Stolte helped another eventual major leaguer, Dan Reichert, become a first-round pick in the 1997 major league draft.
"Stan worked extremely hard with our pitchers," Powers said. "He always had them prepared for every season and every game."
With Stolte on staff, the Pack went to three NCAA Regionals in 1997, 1999 and 2000. The Pack sent nearly three dozen pitchers to professional baseball during Stolte's era as pitching coach, including three (Darrell Rasner, Chad Qualls and Eddie Bonine) who pitched in the major leagues.
"He (Stolte) was here 14 years and that, to me, speaks volumes about his loyalty and the friendship we had and will always have," Powers said.
Powers said UNLV is extremely fortunate to have a coach on its staff with as much experience as Stolte. "He's going to be the only one on that staff with any real Division I experience," Powers said. "He's going to be a valuable resource for them to draw upon. But the only thing I care about is that Stan and his family will be happy. He just told me this is something he has to do at this time. I understood perfectly."
Stolte joins an entirely new UNLV coaching staff. Chambers, who coached at the College of Southern Nevada for 11 seasons, was named the Rebels head coach on June 11. He also coached nine seasons (1991-99) at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. The College of Southern Nevada, led by Bryce Harper, was 52-16 this past year. Harper, who left Las Vegas High after his sophomore season, was the first pick in the major league baseball amateur draft earlier this month by the Washington Nationals.