As they seek to defend their 2019 National Championship, the UCLA Bruins have bolstered their coaching staff with the addition of Don Slaught as a volunteer assistant coach.
Slaught played for the UCLA baseball team from 1977-1980, posting a .342 batting average and eleven home runs during his career as a Bruin. He earned all-conference honors in 1979 and 1980, while his .428 batting average in 1979 stood as a program record for more than two decades.
Following his Bruins career, Slaught spent sixteen years in Major League Baseball. During his career, he played in 1,327 games, including with the Kansas City Royals; Texas Rangers; New York Yankees; Pittsburgh Pirates; California Angels; Chicago White Sox; and San Diego Padres. He recorded a career .283 batting average with 340 extra base hits.
In the mid-2000s, Slaught spent a pair of seasons as the hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers.
“We are very excited to add Don Slaught to our 2019-2020 coaching staff,” UCLA head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “Don is a respected hitting instructor in Major League Baseball, and all levels of collegiate baseball and softball. Don is the owner of the hitting analysis program, RightView Pro (RVP), which UCLA softball has used since Sue Enquist was the head coach. He is also a partner with OnBaseU, which I believe will be a big part of our continued success with our lineup, as we are always looking to stay ahead of the game with the most current information regarding the biomechanics of the swing. As a Bruin alum, we welcome him back to the UCLA family.”
The Bruins will enter 2020 as the reigning Women’s College World Series champions after a 2019 season that saw the squad post a 56-6 overall record, with a nearly-spotless 10-1 mark in postseason play.
