Former WL coach takes job with Beavers

"I don't think I realized how big of a deal it was until I was at the press conference and saw all of the TV cameras." - Pat Bailey

By Matthew Sherman

The West Linn Tidings, Jul 19, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

George Fox University

Pat Bailey, center, is shown here coaching George Fox University’s baseball team in Newberg. Bailey led George Fox to a national title in 2004 and recently took an assistant coaching job with Oregon State University. Bailey will help with scouting and will work with the team’s outfielders and the offense in general.

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There has always been some coincidental symmetry in the lives of Oregon State baseball coach Pat Casey and George Fox baseball coach Pat Bailey. Aside from the obvious similarities in their own names, they each married women named Susan and have been friends for years.

Before becoming a Beaver, Casey had Bailey’s job at George Fox, setting numerous records with the program. When he left that post, he highly recommended Bailey, the former head coach at West Linn High School, for the job.

Bailey got the job one year later and went on to smash many of Casey’s coaching records, even winning a national title in 2004.

But Casey probably didn’t hold much of a grudge. After all, he has not exactly been struggling at Oregon State, taking the Beavers to the College World Series for three straight years and winning back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007.

This past season, Oregon State was not even a sure bet to qualify for the postseason with only a handful of games left on its schedule.

However, the Beavers caught fire at the right time and rode that momentum into the World Series. There, Oregon State was virtually unstoppable, rolling the competition and capturing yet another title.

And now the two Pats will be together on the same staff as Bailey was hired as an assistant coach for Oregon State last week.

Although the program is still working to define Bailey’s role with the team, he will likely be working with the team’s outfielders and will assist with base-running and the Beavers’ offense.

“It’s going to be a full-time baseball gig. At George Fox I wore a lot of hats so it will be nice to focus on one thing,” Bailey said.

Despite the nearly ideal situation, it wasn’t an easy decision as Bailey has had tremendous experience in Newberg with George Fox.

“The tough part is leaving those relationships. It was tough to tell the players but I’m excited about the new opportunity,” Bailey said.

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