Hall of Fame
From the 2016 Hall of Fame program:
It’s one of the most iconic moments in Pepperdine Athletics history — Omaha, Nebraska, bottom of the ninth, a 3-2 Pepperdine lead, a pop-up into short right field. Steve Rodriguez catches the ball, setting off the celebratory dogpile as the Waves win the 1992 College World Series. It was the crowning moment for one of the top players in Pepperdine history.
Rodriguez arrived at Pepperdine after an All-American prep career at Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. He earned the starting job at second base as a freshman and kept it for his three seasons in Malibu.
A two-time All-American, Rodriguez still ranks second all-time in hitting at Pepperdine (.367) and is tied for third in runs scored (187), fourth in hits (271), eighth in stolen bases (82) and ninth in total bases (377).
Rodriguez earned Freshman All-American honors from both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball in 1990. He also collected All-West Coast Conference second team honors.
He had his best year at the plate as a sophomore, hitting .419, the third-best mark in school history. He set a school record with 104 hits, which still stands today. That led to All-American first team honors from Baseball America, second team from the American Baseball Coaches Association and third team by Collegiate Baseball. He also picked up All-District and All-WCC first team recognition.
Rodriguez’ junior season included All-American third team honors from both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. He was the WCC Player of the Year and made the All-WCC first team for the second time. He batted .348 with five home runs, 42 RBI and 35 stolen bases.
In 1992, after claiming the WCC title for the second straight year, and then winning an NCAA Regional in Tucson, Arizona, Rodriguez and the Waves advanced to the College World Series for the second time in program history. He cemented his place in Pepperdine lore with other huge moments in the national championship run, including a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning in a semifinal game against Texas that lifted the Waves to a 5-4 victory. Rodriguez would be named to the All-College World Series team.
He also played with USA Baseball during this time, earning spots with the collegiate national team in the summers of both 1991 and 1992.
Rodriguez was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round of the 1992 MLB Draft. He played professionally for seven seasons and reached the Major Leagues with Boston and Detroit in 1995.
Rodriguez returned to Pepperdine as an assistant coach in 2000. He would eventually earn his bachelor’s degree in public relations from Pepperdine in 2001, and would receive a master’s degree in education technology in 2003.
He was promoted to head coach prior to the 2004 season, and in his 12 seasons in charge, the Waves would win 401 games, five WCC regular-season titles and five WCC Tournament titles, and make eight NCAA Tournament appearances.
In 2001, Rodriguez was named one of the WCC’s Top 50 athletes of all time, and in 2007, the WCC named him to its 40th Anniversary Team.
Rodriguez and wife Kimberlee, a Pepperdine graduate, and their children Julia and Nolan now live in McGregor, Texas, where Steve is the head coach at Baylor University.
