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A Louisiana coaching icon came out of retirement this week — nearly 20 years after competing in his last collegiate game.
UNO Athletics Director Derek Morel announced this week that legendary coach Ron Maestri has returned for his second stint as the Privateers’ baseball coach.
Maestri, 72, coached at UNO from 1972-85, amassing a 518-247-1 record in his 14 seasons with the team.
Following his stint with the Privateers, Maestri stayed involved in baseball, having previously served as the Executive Director and COO of the New Orleans Zephyrs – a position he held for more than eight years.
He will lead the team into its new era, as the Privateers return to Division I competition next season, while also opening a newly renovated field. Not surprisingly, the field bears the longtime coach’s name: Maestri Field.
“This is an exciting time for our university, UNO alumni, the campus community and Privateer fans everywhere,” Morel said while welcoming the coach back this week. “We are thrilled that both (wife) Sue and Coach Maestri believe in (UNO President Peter J. Fos’) vision and made the commitment to join this journey with us.
“There could not be a better man to lead the renaissance of Privateer baseball.”
“I am very much honored that Derek Morel and President Fos would even consider me to come back to this position,” Maestri said before a large audience that gathered at Lakefront Arena for his press conference. “I feel a great sense of responsibility, and I am ready to face the challenge of bringing back that UNO pride that we all had at one time.”
In Maestri, the Privateers brought back the man that is arguably the architect of the UNO program – away from longtime LSU coach Skip Bertman, maybe the best Louisiana college baseball coach of all-time.
A 1977 UNO baseball media guide called Maestri the “sole architect” of the team’s baseball success.
It’s easy to see why.
During his first run with the Privateers, the returning coach had a 67.7 percent winning percentage, while never posting a losing season.
During the early years of Maestri’s tenure, UNO competed in Division II. The Privateers were among the best, finishing as the runner-up in the 1974 NCAA Division II College World Series.
UNO moved to Division I years later and still had success.
Maestri anchored the Privateers to nine NCAA Tournaments. His peak season was in 1984, when he pushed UNO to a 46-26 record and a berth in the College World Series – the first Louisiana baseball team to earn that honor.
He retired one year later and stayed with the university as athletic director – a job he held until 2000 before later taking the position with the Zephyrs.
More than a decade later, he is back and ready to try and recreate the team’s winning past.
Morel said he believes Maestri still has what it takes.
“We are humbled by the fine individuals who expressed interest in becoming the head baseball coach at the University of New Orleans,” Morel said. “My team and I had the opportunity to visit with several great coaches who could have made our program better.
“But in the end, we found the man who has energy and experience to build the foundation for the future and unite the Privateer faithful and the city of New Orleans behind this program and our university.”
UNO’s decision has ramifications for the local college baseball program in the Tri-parish area.
The 2014 UNO baseball team will be the Privateers’ first as a new member of the Southland Conference – the same conference that houses Nicholls State University and also Louisiana schools like Southeastern, Northwestern State and McNeese.
Maestri said that he knows the league is one of the most competitive conferences in the south, routinely sending more than one program to the NCAA Tournament.
He said he can’t wait to be a part of the action.
“I am so excited about the Southland Conference because we played most of those schools when I was coaching last,” Maestri said. “Southeastern and Nicholls have great programs. Jim Gilligan is coaching at Lamar. Then you have Northwestern State, McNeese and schools like Central Arkansas and Sam Houston who have showed how good their baseball programs are. … I’m excited to be a part of it.”
But to return to his former level of dominance, a lot of work needs to be done within the Privateers’ clubhouse.
UNO finished just 7-44 last season and former coach Bruce Peddie posted just a 40-161 record in his four seasons with the team.
But that lack of success came at a time when the Privateers were in a clouded period where the school dropped its athletes to a lower tier of competition.
Back at Division I and ready to compete, UNO is aiming to rebuild from the ground up.
As they do so, they will enjoy the services of the same man who build the program the first time – more than 40 years ago.
Maestri’s first game will be Feb. 14 when UNO takes on LSU in Alex Box Stadium. One day later, LSU will travel to New Orleans for the inaugural game at the Privateers’ newly renovated park.
Tigers coach Paul Mainieri is a product of the Maestri baseball family. The LSU coach played for the UNO legend while in college.
Maestri believes it will be a special day for everyone involved – a memorable day in Louisiana college baseball’s history.
“It is awesome that we will be able to play LSU, and I would like to thank Paul for making that contest possible,” Maestri said. “It will be a time for Tiger fans and UNO fans to come out and enjoy a great day.”
