LINCOLN — Former Nebraska two-sport star Darin Erstad is officially done with major league baseball — and unofficially back at work with the Huskers.
Erstad has agreed to serve as a volunteer coach for the Nebraska baseball team, according to people close to the program with knowledge of the situation.
He already has spent time at Haymarket Park, in fact, though his hiring awaits approval from university administration. Erstad and Nebraska coach Mike Anderson declined to comment Monday through an NU spokesperson. An announcement is expected this week.
The 36-year-old Erstad, a native of Jamestown, N.D., played 14 seasons with the Angels, White Sox and Astros, earning a reputation as one of the most hard-nosed players in the game. He collected 1,697 hits, including a major league-best 240 in 2000, and won three Gold Glove awards as an outfielder and first baseman.
He made two American League All-Star teams and won a World Series with Anaheim in 2002. Erstad hit .194 last year in 134 at-bats in Houston. He sought a position this spring but last month told his hometown newspaper that he was finished.
“I couldn't be much happier,” Erstad told the Jamestown Sun. “I got to live a dream playing baseball for 14 years, now I'm getting to live the other side and it's a blast. I had my time. I always said, ‘When I'm done, I'm done.'
“I'm good. I don't have any complaints. I gave my heart and soul to the game. I'm comfortable with my decision to move on. Do I miss it? Of course, I loved to play. But what I have at home is great, too.”
He and his wife Jessica, from Fairmont, Neb., have three children under 5, including an infant son. The Erstads donated $1 million to the Memorial Stadium improvement fund in 2004 and bought a home in Lincoln in 2008.
Erstad played baseball at Nebraska from 1993 to 1995 before the Angels drafted him No. 1 overall. He also punted on the Huskers' 1994 national championship football team.
He remains fourth in Angels' history in runs, doubles, hits and stolen bases.
As a volunteer coach, Erstad cannot recruit off campus. NCAA guidelines allow a volunteer coach to teach and travel like a full-time assistant.
A precedent exists for Erstad's situation. Former Arkansas star Tom Pagnozzi, a 12-year veteran of the St. Louis Cardinals, worked several seasons as a volunteer coach for the Razorbacks, including time under ex-Nebraska coach Dave Van Horn.
Contact the writer:
402-444-1031, mitch.sherman@owh.com
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