Former Tennessee baseball coach leads Johnson University to NAIA World Series

For the first time in program history, Johnson University has advanced to the NAIA World Series under former Tennessee baseball coach Dave Serrano. The Royals went 3-0 in the NAIA Opening Round, beginning with a 20-10 rout against Our Lady of the Lake. They defeated Kansas Wesleyan twice in two days, holding on for a 9-8 victory on May 13 to send them to the World Series.

Johnson will play on May 22 in Lewiston, Idaho, against an undetermined opponent. The final out that sent the Royals to the NAIA World Series⬇️ pic. twitter.

com/ryp0H6SmF4 — Johnson Baseball (@JURoyals_BB) May 13, 2026 Serrano has led Johnson to the best three-year stretch in program history. The Royals improved from a 24-22 record in his first season to 36-18 in 2025, logging the most wins in a single season. They reached 40 wins this season after defeating Kansas Wesleyan.

Serrano began coaching Tennessee baseball in 2012 and resigned in 2017, leading to the Vols hiring Tony Vitello, who is now in his first season as the San Francisco Giants manager. Serrano was an assistant coach at West Virginia for a year, and was a head coach at Cal State Northridge from 2020-22 before coming to Johnson. He also coached at Cerritos, UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton.