Checketts brings in assistant coach from Riverside

New UCSB baseball coach Andrew Checketts went back to his roots to find an assistant coach.

Checketts has hired Eddie Cornejo from UC Riverside and Riverside Community College to join his staff in Santa Barbara. Checketts started his coaching career as an assistant at RCC before moving on to an assistant’s position at UC Riverside.

Cornejo served one season as an assistant coach at UCR and previously served as the Associate Head Coach and interim head coach at Riverside CC.

“Eddie is a great addition to the UCSB program,” Checketts said in a statement. “He is an extremely motivated, hard-working individual who will immediately help us in many areas.”

Cornejo will work with the Gaucho infielders after a standout playing career at RCC and the University of Oklahoma. He spent six seasons in the minors for the Oakland and Colorado organizations, ascending to Triple-A for two seasons.

At Oklahoma, he was an All-Big 12 performer and was a JC All-American at RCC, where his team won consecutive state championships.

“It’s difficult to find a better place to live and go to school than UC Santa Barbara, and now with Andrew Checketts at the helm of a baseball program, there now is no better place to develop as a baseball player,” Cornejo said in a statement.  “I want to thank Andrew, Mark Massari and the entire UCSB athletic department for the opportunity and challenge to help instill a winning culture.”