The progression of Connor Spencer’s coaching career has taken twists and turns from player to scout to ultimately the head coach of the OC Riptide.
For Connor Spencer, baseball has always been more than just a game.
From his early days as a promising first baseman during his collegiate years at UC Irvine to his years in the minor leagues, Spencer’s life revolved around the diamond. Yet, it wasn’t until he traded his glove for a clipboard that he truly found his future.
Now, as the Director of Player Development of the Cal State Fullerton Titans and Head Coach of OC Riptide, Spencer channels his passion for the sport into mentoring the next generation of players. His transition from player to coach showed some challenges, yet it marked a natural progression for a man who deeply loves baseball.
Early Years
Photo Courtesy of UC Irvine Athletics
Spencer began his career at Tesoro High School in Orange County, California. In his senior year, he finished with a 0.376 batting average and a 0.981 fielding percentage. Spencer led the state in batting average his senior year (.538) and put up many school offensive records. He still holds many of those records today, including highest single-season batting average (.538) and doubles (14).
Spencer, with the success and the talent he showed during his years at Tesoro, caught the eyes of UC Irvine legendary head coach Mike Gillespie.
During his junior year at UC Irvine, Spencer clinched the Big West Conference batting title with a .373 batting average and helped guide the Anteaters to the 2014 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Call to the Big Leagues
Upon completing three years at UC Irvine, Spencer received the call from the New York Yankees informing him they will select him in the eighth round as the 242nd overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft.
“I knew I wanted to be in the MLB from a very young age, there was never a question about that,” Spencer recalls. “The Yankees were a dream. They [the Yankees] just have this aura about them.”
After four years playing for the Yankees organization, even though Spencer’s experience was nothing short of fulfilling, he decided he wanted to take his love for the sport in a different direction. He wanted to see if he could find permanence in a different area of baseball due to career progression differences.
The Shift
Photo courtesy Dingers Photography
Upon his retirement from professional baseball, Spencer returned to his alma mater to complete his degree, an M.A. in anthropology. Following graduation, Spencer initially stepped back into the baseball world by attending MLB winter meetings. Attending these meetings presented an opportunity to become a National Scouting Coordinator for Perfect Game. After he believed his time expired at Perfect Game, he chose to pivot in a different direction to pursue a different dream, coaching.
Back to His Roots
Spencer returned to Tesoro High School, to have a more hands-on approach in shaping the next batch of student athletes. He coached offense at Tesoro for two years, and the Tesoro Titans advanced to the 2022 State Championship.
He added to his growing resume by joining the Arroyo Seco Saints coaching staff, another wood bat summer ball franchise in the California Collegiate League (CCL), after his first season at Tesoro. After his second season coaching high school, he joined the 2022 OC Riptide coaching staff, handling the offense. Having held assistant coaching roles in high school and summer ball, Spencer relished the opportunity to become a head coach.
“For me, it’s one thing to be an assistant on a baseball team and not have to run the day-to-day,” Spencer said. “But when you’re the head guy, it makes you think about a lot of things that you didn’t have to think about before. I wanted to step into that head position,”
Spencer’s time coaching summer ball within the CCL transitioned into a new environment and team within the NCAA Division 1 ranks. Spencer joined the Cal State Fullerton staff as the Director of Player Development in 2022. In the summer of 2023, Spencer took on the head coaching role with the OC Riptide.
Now and the Future
Photo Courtesy Dingers Photography
As the head coach of the OC Riptide, Spencer leads and guides this next generation of potential big-leaguers to the next level. Spencer led the Riptide to the playoffs during his first season as the head coach. With roughly 30% of the regular season remaining, Spencer has led the Riptide to another successful season and positioned them for an invite to the CCL postseason.
“Before I was a head coach, I kind of questioned if I was okay with being an assistant or if I wanted to be a head coach,” Spencer said. “Once I became the head coach of the OC Riptide, I kind of decided that this was ultimately what I wanted to do”
Stepping into a head position brings clarity to Spencer that coaching baseball is his calling.
“I ultimately just love it… I can’t get enough of it… I want to be involved in baseball for the rest of my life … in some way, shape, or form.”
Spencer’s ultimate goal? A head coaching position for a Division I baseball team someday.
Until then, the OC Riptide welcomes him back to the dugout to help develop the next crop of college baseball players for numerous summers to come.
