A pair of former Cerritos College baseball players have landed in new locations for the start of the 2015 season. Mike Kirby, who played for the Falcons from 1988-89 and has spent the last three years on the Cal State Fullerton staff, has been named the Assistant Head Baseball Coach at the University of Nebraska. At the University of Tennessee, another ex-Cerritos player has joined the staff, as Chip Dill (1982-83) has been brought in as a volunteer assistant coach. Volunteers head coach Dave Serrano and associate head coach Greg Begeron are both former Falcon players and coaches.

"I'm excited to have Mike as a member of our coaching staff," said head coach Darin Erstad on the Nebraska website. "He has been part of winning programs and fits the type of baseball we want to play at Nebraska. Mike has shown that he is not only a great teacher of the game, but he is also one of the top recruiters in the country."

During his last three seasons at Cal State Fullerton, Kirby coached first base, infielders and served as the program's recruiting coordinator. His first class in 2012 was ranked 23rd in the country by Baseball America, producing National Freshman Pitcher of the Year Thomas Eshelman and Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year Justin Garza. Both Eshelman and Garza pitched for the USA Collegiate Baseball National Team this summer, while Eshelman was named an All-American each of the past two seasons.

It was the second stint for Kirby (pictured, left) with the Titans, who saw his first action in Fullerton in 1991 and spent eight of the next nine seasons as either a student assistant (one year), facilities manager (three years) or assistant coach (four years). He left the Titans briefly to assist at Los Angeles City College in 1996. Additionally, Kirby was instrumental in helping his coach at Cerritos, George Horton, put the Oregon Ducks on the national scene. Kirby played a large role in four consecutive top-25 recruiting classes, including three ranked in the top 10 and a program-best No. 5 ranking in 2010.

"It's an honor to come coach at a special place like Nebraska," Kirby said on the Nebraska website. "I have a lot of respect for Coach Erstad and what he has done not only during his time at Nebraska, but also for the way he played the game. I knew (Pitching) Coach (Ted) Silva when he played at Cal State Fullerton, so I already feel like a part of the Husker staff. I'm excited to have the opportunity to help build on the success of Nebraska baseball. I can't wait for the season to get started."

While as a player at Cerritos in 1988 and 1989 under Horton, Kirby was a member of a state championship team in his sophomore season. He was a two-time recipient of the Dallas Moon Award, while he earned the Most Inspirational Player Award as a freshman and voted a team captain his sophomore season.

Dill, an All-South Coast Conference pitcher for the Falcons in 1982 and 1983, spent last year as an assistant coach at Tusculum (TN) University. Prior to his time with Tusculum, Dill spent the 2013 season with the NCAA Division II California Baptist University and helped lead the team to a NCCAA World Series title as pitching coach. From 2009-12, Dill also worked as the pitching coach at Orange Coast College and helped the club to an Orange Empire Conference Championship in 2012.

"I'm excited to bring Chip into our family as our volunteer coaching position," said Serrano on the Tennessee website. "I've known Chip for a long time, since we were teammates back at Cerritos. He brings a wealth of experience, but more importantly, he adds class and character to our staff. He will be major contributor to the development of our pitching staff."

Since 2011, Dill has also worked as a pitching coach for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League and got back into coaching after retiring as Captain of the Fire Service.

"I'm so grateful to be a part of the amazing energy that surrounds this school," said Dill. "Seeing the excitement about this team and knowing that we have a good team coming back makes me excited to see what we can do with them. With that, my job will be to make sure that all pitchers perform to the best of their ability. Pitching is all I've ever coached and I hope I bring a calmness that may relate to players on a different level."

Dill and Serrano were both on the Falcons pitching staff and won a state championship in 1983. He was a 1st Team all-conference pick in 1983 when he tossed three shutouts during the year. Dill, who was drafted three times, was originally selected in the 12th round of the 1982 Major League draft by the California Angels and was later drafted in the sixth round of the mid-year amateur draft that same year. Ultimately, he was selected in the second round of the 1983 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins.

A more recent Falcon, Jared Robinson, just completed his first year of professional baseball with the Cleveland Indians of the Arizona Instructional League. An 11th Round draft pick this June, Robinson went 0-2 with a 1.23 ERA in 22 inning of relief pitching. He struck out 19 batters and limited them to a .177 batting average in nine games of action. Robinson was an All-State pitcher and the conference's Most Valuable Player for the Falcons in 2014.