UC Riverside Names Troy Percival Baseball Coach
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Longtime major league reliever Troy Percival is the new baseball coach at UC Riverside.
The Highlanders announced Percival's return Tuesday.
Percival grew up near Riverside and played three seasons for the Highlanders before the Angels drafted him as a catcher in 1990.
Percival went on to a 14-year career, mostly as the Angels' closer. His 358 career saves ranks ninth in baseball history, and he earned at least 27 saves in nine consecutive seasons for the Angels from 1996 to 2004.
Percival also played for Detroit, St. Louis and Tampa Bay, last pitching in 2009.
For the past two years, Percival coached at Moreno Valley High School, his alma mater.
Percival stayed close to UC Riverside during his career, even building a locker room for the Highlanders in 2007.
(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)