Ashman leaves NU for Cal-Poly Pomona By Mike Kluck Staff Reporter Mike Ashman is going home. Nebraska’s top assistant baseball coach accepted the head coaching job at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona Wednesday. Ashman said he was returning to Cal-Poly Pomona to be closer to his son. Zachary. He said he missed his son because as a coach in Lincoln, he had very few opportunities to see his son. Ashman said he had no desire to leave the Nebraska baseball program, but the opportunity to be a head coach at a Division II program presented him with a dilemma. He said he had to choose between being a head coach and running his own program, and being the top as sistant coach at a Division I school. “This was an opportunity to get back where I played and help build the program back to where it was before,” Ashman said. Ashman played college baseball at Cal-Poly Pomona and led the team to the NCAA Division II Champion ship in 1980. He was named second team All-American and was the only Division II player who played on Team USA in the World Champion ships. Ashman said Cal-Poly Pomona’s athletic director, Karen Miller, talked to Nebraska coach John Sanders for more than an hour Tuesday night about Ashman’s ability to be a head coach. Ashman said he was told that he was competing with the head coach from the University of Pittsburgh for the job. Ashman said Sanders and the rec ognition of Nebraska’s athletic pro grams helped him wm the top spot at Cal-Poly Pomona. “John Sanders put me in a position to be considered for such a fine op portunity such as this,” Ashman said. “Nebraska is not a good place; it is a great place. John does an incredible job, and this total environment can’t be beat.” Ashman said he 1 iked the Nebraska program, but Cal-Poly Pomona had other benefits, including a pay raise. Ashman was hired as Nebraska’s top assistant in August 1994 and served as hitting coach, infield coach and pitching coach. In 1981, Ashman was a 24th-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics and spent five years with their orga nization. He also spent one year with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and reached the Triple-A level with both teams. Before coming to Nebraska, Ashman was the Riverside Commu nity College associate head coach in 1992 and i 993 and an assistant from 1990-92 Since arriving at Nebraska, Ashman has been the key to bringing top talent from California junior col leges to the HusKers. Last season, three starting posi tion players and tnree pitchers from “This was an opportunity to get back where 1 played and help build the program back to where it was before. ” MIKE ASHMAN former Nebraska assistant baseball coach Riverside C.C. played for the Husk ers, Nebraska senior outfielder Mel Motley, who played for Ashman at Riverside C.C., said he was surprised to hear Ashman was leaving, but said he understood the reasons. “I’m a little disappointed, but I understand baseball is a business,” Motley said. “Mike is doing what is best for him and his family.” Motley said Ashman helped make Motley’s transition to Nebraska easier. But Motley said he didn’t plan to follow Ashman to Cal-Poly Pomona Ashman said he would not en courage Nebraska players to follow him to Pomona, but said if any wante J to transfer at the end of the year, he would look at their situation. Sanders said he hadn’t made i decision on Ashman’s replacement. “Mike did a fine job for us, and we obviously will miss him, and we wisn him the very best,” Sanders said. “We are very pleased that Mike was named head coach at his aima mater and are proud that our program played a big part in helping him get the job ' Ou<f' ll. -. .' . fc. Collector Comics ilpppll •Science Fiction I •Adventure Games I •T-Shirts • Posters •Magic Cards & much more I ^ It's Cosmic Comics!