University’s Mike Gerakos wraps up coaching career with Trojans

Coach Mike Gerakos and his wife Kathy at his retirement party at Rancho San Joaquin Golf Club.

University High baseball coach Mike Gerakos wrapped up his memorable coaching stint at the school with one more game representing the Trojans at the Ryan Lemmon Showcase in June as an assistant coach for the Pacific Coast League.

Gerakos had been an asssistant for 25 years before taking over as head coach this year. The experience of being a head coach was “a little bit special because it was my ball club and I could put my signature on it,” he said.

About a month later, Gerakos announced he would be a walk-on coach at Corona del Mar, helping new head coach Kevin McCaffrey, a former head coach at Uni.

University finished 13-12 overall and 5-10 in the Pacific Coast League.

“I knew what I had coming in; I had 11 seniors,” Gerakos said. “And I had some quality juniors and they bought into what we were trying to do and that was about you and I. It’s not Uni, it’s you and I and what we can do together and I loved it.

“At 67, it’s time to take a break.”

Gerakos was excited to be able to coach in the Ryan Lemmon Showcase game which featured seniors Kahi Rodrigues, David Schlomovits, John Rizzo, Andie Masotto and Adam Barnett.

“To be able to hang out in the dugout with the five kids that we brought was pretty special,” Gerakos said. “They’re all good kids and they all did things that were pretty neat this year and to be able to end my career at Uni with a Saturday afternoon at the ballpark with five of my seniors was pretty cool.”:

Also last month, Gerakos and his wife Kathy hosted a farewell celebration on June 2 at the Rancho San Joaquin Golf Club in Irvine. The program included tributes from many former coaches, including Chris Conlin, who was head coach at University when Gerakos was an assistant coach.

Nick Gerakos, the son of Mike and Kathy, also paid tribute to Coach Gerakos, who was UC Irvine’s baseball coach for 12 years until 1992, when the university disbanded the program. The program was later reinstated.

“Coach (Gary) Adams from UCLA and my UCI guys came back and we had so many of the Uni people there and so many of the people who I’ve worked with over the years was pretty special,” Gerakos said. “My wife did a phenomenal job and to share with Nick and his wife and the family was cool.”

Among those who spoke was former University head baseball coach Chris Conlin.

“Mike Gerakos is the finest coach that I have ever met,” Conlin said last week. “From the minute he walks on the field until he leaves, he is constantly teaching and making players better.

“Off the field, his work with the Irvine Eagles and the Special Olympics holds a special place in his heart.”