SPORTS NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR:

The announcement, made by the Cal State Fullerton media relations department Sept. 7, hit the UC Irvine baseball program and its supporters like a fastball to the eye socket. For, like the unprecedented postseason run that had just thrust UCI onto the national sports landscape, nobody saw this one coming.

Just seven days prior to being named baseball coach at Cal State Fullerton, where he had both played and coached, former UCI head man Dave Serrano had issued a statement disavowing any interest in replacing his mentor and friend, George Horton, who had left Fullerton for a big paycheck and a blank canvas at the University of Oregon.

Serrano had also been courted by Oregon, before pulling his name from consideration, a move that drew a collective sigh of relief from the players and supporters of a UCI program still floating from its third-place finish at the College World Series.

In his third season at the UCI helm, Serrano and his coaching staff did what most outside of their pristine new offices in the just-christened $2.4 million Newkirk Pavilion — which also housed a clubhouse full of highly motivated and talented players — deemed beyond reason.

The Anteaters played for the Big West Conference crown into the final weekend of the regular season at UC Riverside, but came up just short.

UCI was then shipped to Texas for the NCAA Regionals, an assignment Serrano accepted with glee, confidently referring to the challenge of knocking off a program like the perennially strong Longhorns as part of the building blocks to national prominence.

It was, perhaps, the most blatant display of bravado to that point from Serrano, who had been selling his players on the reality of a trip to Omaha, where he had ventured many times with Cal State Fullerton, since he arrived at UCI.

It was one more instance, assistant coach Nathan Choate said, of Serrano’s “unbelievable ability to make people believe.”

To the surprise of most, UCI swept through the Longhorns to advance to the Super Regional, where the hard-fought best-of-three series at Wichita State began exposing ESPN audiences to both the ’Eaters’ determined and precise brand of baseball and the unrestricted joy with which they went about it.

A dramatic victory propelled them past the Shockers and into the program’s first World Series, a journey, unbeknownst to many, the players and coaches had planned for all along.

What followed was a week of drama that included an opening loss to Arizona State, followed by a 13-inning win over Cal State Fullerton in the longest game in CWS history, and another extra-inning triumph over Arizona State. The ’Eaters fell to eventual champion Oregon State to tie for third.

Serrano, at the time rumored to be among the projected candidates to coach at Tennessee, thanked his players afterward, dismissed the Tennessee rumors, and vowed that the experience would only make the returners better-suited to achieve future success in Omaha.

He was later named National Coach of the Year by Baseball America for guiding the Anteaters to a 47-17-1 record.

Serrano’s departure to Fullerton, was greeted with more than disappointment. Contributors to UCI athletics message boards, as well as some within the athletic department, questioned the timing of the move, particularly in light of Serrano’s aforementioned statement that he had no interest in the job.

Serrano, stung by the criticism, issued a statement of apology to the Daily Pilot.

The statement read:

“I absolutely do regret and apologize for misleading anyone associated with UCI, first and foremost my players. I stand completely behind my reason to leave for this great opportunity at Cal State Fullerton. Yet I did use bad judgment with my words, when I thought I was doing the right thing, considering the circumstances.”

Serrano said his denial of interest was issued at the time to try to help ensure that longtime assistant Rick Vanderhook would be offered the job to succeed Horton.

Serrano later said that Cal State Fullerton Athletic Director Brian Quinn told him in Omaha that if Horton ever left, Serrano would be the man Quinn would come after to run the program.

UCI went on to hire former USC Coach Mike Gillespie to lead the Anteaters into 2008 and the players have almost universally chosen not to comment on Serrano’s departure.

All-American pitcher Scott Gorgen did comment on Serrano’s departure, expressing disappointment about the way it happened, but also praising his former coach for his leadership and the positive impact Serrano had on him both on and off the field.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.