Brian Meehan had a very interesting column about Oregon’s search for a head coach for its soon-to-be-resuscitated baseball program in yesterday’s Oregonian. Among the tidbits revealed in the piece: the Ducks reportedly tried to woo Pat Casey away from in-state rival Oregon State by throwing huge piles of money his way; Casey declined. As Meehan points out, that approach seemed lacking in decorum, and it’s probably best for the Ducks that Casey said no, so the program didn’t start off in controversy.

The Oregonian also reported that Oregon athletic director Pat Kilkenny has interviewed UC Irvine coach Dave Serrano, who said, “It is not a completely dead issue.” Oregon is looking to make a serious financial commitment to its coach, making the position attractive to big-name candidates, but winning immediately will be tricky because the Ducks won’t be fully funded for four years–they’ll start with no more than five scholarships.

I agree with Meehan’s conclusion: the best hire for Oregon would be respected Triple-A Richmond manager and Oregon native Dave Brundage, who knows the Pacific Northwest and has a stellar reputation. Kilkenny seems to be looking for someone flashy, but at least he has already interviewed Brundage, according to the Oregonian. But don’t be surprised if Kilkenny makes a serious run at some of college baseball’s other heavyweights before settling on any candidate.