RENO, Nev. – Recently announced University of Nevada head baseball coach Jay Johnson named Dave Lawn and Mark Kertenian to his coaching staff on Thursday. Lawn is the Pack’s new pitching coach and Kertenian will work with the position players.
“I am very excited about the coaching staff we were able to put in place,” Johnson said. “Both of them have a great ability to recruit and develop players at a very high level. Our current players, recruits, and entire program will benefit from having Dave and Mark, here. They have an excellent baseball pedigree and are great people. Having coach Lawn as our pitching coach is a huge deal for our program. For our pitchers to have the opportunity to work with someone who has had so much success in developing future major league pitchers is a great opportunity for them. Mark has a great knack for recruiting and developing a great rapport with players. I have no doubt that they will gravitate towards his great personality and teaching style and make huge strides in their development because of him.”
Lawn returns to Nevada where he began his coaching career as the Pack’s pitching coach. From 1988-90 as a graduate assistant he worked with the Wolf Pack hurlers. “I’m excited to return to the University of Nevada where I began my coaching career,” Lawn said. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with coach Johnson.”
After his time at Nevada he worked at Cal for 10 seasons, five as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator and five as associate head coach for the Golden Bears. He helped Cal reach the 1992 College World Series and make three regional appearances. During his time at Cal he coached 11 players who went on to play Major League Baseball.
In 2000 he was named the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Southern California and spent eight seasons working with the Trojan baseball program. While at USC the Trojans reached the 2001 College World Series and played in three Super Regionals. The 2001 and 2002 USC teams captured Pac-10 titles. He coached pitcher Mark Prior who won the 2001 Golden Spikes Award, Alberto Concepcion, the 2002 Pac-10 Player of the Year and Ian Kennedy, the 2005 Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year.
Lawn spent this past season as the Director of Player Development at Cal State Fullerton prior to that was the Director of Athletics at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. He spent four seasons at the head baseball coach at Servite High School in Anaheim, Calif. from 2007-11 and 12 of his players earned division one scholarships.
Lawn received his bachelor of arts degree in political science from San Francisco State in 1987. Dave and his wife Stacey have three children Mackenzie (23), Michael (18) and Matthew (16).
Most recently Kertenian coached the East Texas Pump Jacks of the Texas Collegiate League in Kilgore, Texas. He spent 10 seasons coaching at Cal State Northridge from 2001-10 where part of his duties were as recruiting coordinator. While at CSN two of the Matadors recruiting classes ranked in the top 40. He also was the head coach of the Oahu Paddlers of the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League and led them to the 2005 championship.
“I am very proud to be a new part of the Wolf Pack family,” Kertenian said. “The University of Nevada is a first class destination for all types of students and a perfect destination for an aspiring winning baseball player.”
Kertenian earned his bachelor of arts degree from Cal State Northridge and a masters of science at Azusa Pacific.
