LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV Baseball has added Cory Vanderhook to the coaching staff, Rebel head coach Stan Stolte announced Friday.
 
On the diamond, Vanderhook will oversee the catchers, assist with the pitchers, and be heavily involved with recruiting.
 
"First off, I'd like to thank Patrick Armstrong for all he did the past six years as a player and coach for the program," said Stolte. "I'm very excited to bring Cory on board. He'll be a great fit for us as we continue to move forward. He will help us in all facets of the game; having coached all areas, including pitching. He is well connected and respected in Southern California, and that will allow him to be more active in the region from a recruiting standpoint. The who's who of college baseball coaches highly recommended him, and after meeting with him, it is easy to see why. We welcome Cory, Gabrielle and their two children, Cayson and Codie, to the Rebel family!"
 
Most recently, Vanderhook served as the volunteer assistant coach at UC Irvine last season and helped the Anteaters post a 37-17 overall record and a second-place showing in the Big West with a 17-7 mark.
 
UCI finished the 2019 campaign ranked No. 20 by Perfect Game, and attained a No. 15 and No. 16 ranking during the season in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Baseball America top-25 polls, respectively.
 
The Anteaters had eight members of their squad earn All-Big West honors, including Conference Pitcher of the Year Trenton Denholm and Defensive Player of the Year Christian Koss.
 
Prior to his stint at UCI, Vanderhook served as the pitching coach at Abilene Christian for the 2018 season following a three-year run as Cal State Fullerton's director of operations from 2015-17 and four years (2009-12) as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Golden West College.
 
Vanderhook, a 2002 graduate of Edison High School in Huntington Beach, California, played catcher collegiately at Golden West (2003-04) before transferring to South Carolina (2005) and later Cal State Fullerton (2006). He was selected in consecutive MLB Drafts by the Seattle Mariners (2002: 25th round) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2003: 42nd round) following his senior year of high school and freshman season at Golden West, respectively.
 
Following his collegiate career, Vanderhook signed as a free agent with the Chicago Cubs and played in their organization for two seasons before playing in the Baltimore Orioles farm system.
 
Vanderhook earned his undergraduate degree in communication studies from Cal State Fullerton in 2014.