Dave Serrano
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- Email:
- DSerrano@JohnsonU.edu
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- Year:
- 3
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- Title:
- Head Coach
Bio
Dave Serrano, one of the most accomplished coaches in college baseball, brings decades of experience as a head coach at five universities and with the USA Collegiate National Team. His previous head coaching stops include Cerritos (1991), UC Irvine (2005–07), Cal State Fullerton (2008–11), the University of Tennessee (2012–17), and Cal State Northridge (2020–22), along with leading the USA Collegiate Team in 2012. A decorated coach, Serrano is a three-time Big West Conference Champion (2008, 2010, 2011), the 2007 Baseball America National Coach of the Year, 2004 Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year, 2010 Big West Coach of the Year, and a 2004 College World Series champion. He played two seasons at Cerritos College, serving as team captain for one year.
In just two seasons at Johnson University, Serrano has guided the Royals to a 60–40 record and the most successful stretch in program history. The 2024 team finished 24–22 before breaking through in 2025 with a 36–18 record, the most wins ever in a season, along with the program’s highest AAC finish (3rd), first-ever conference tournament appearances, and first NAIA Opening Round berth. The Royals also earned their first Top 25 national ranking and ended the year in the polls for the first time. Serrano was named the 2025 AAC Coach of the Year and has coached multiple First Team All-Conference selections, including pitchers Nathan Hoffman (2024) and Colby Reynolds (2025), and position players Travis Hobbensiefken (2025) and Luke Wilson (2025). Wilson was also named AAC Freshman of the Year. His 2025 team produced three First Team honorees, the most in program history, and Reynolds became the first preseason All-American in any sport at Johnson heading into 2026.
Serrano has overseen 21 player graduations in two years, led the program on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic in January 2025, and guided the team to its highest overall GPA in program history in 2025. Across his career as both an assistant and head coach, Serrano holds an overall record of 1,272–693–2.