Chris Sperry was hired as the 21st head coach in University of Portland baseball history on Feb. 1, 1998. Coach Sperry replaced his college coach Terry Pollreisz, who resigned after 11 years to become manager of the Everett AquaSox, the Seattle Mariners' Class A team in the Northwest League.
After just ten seasons as head coach on The Bluff, Sperry ranks third all-time at Portland in total wins with 175. While Sperry is currently leading the resurgence of baseball on The Bluff, his former players are enjoying unprecedented success in the professional ranks. Last summer, former Pilots Eric Hull, a pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Kory Casto, an outfielder with the Washington Nationals, both spent time with their respective Major League clubs.
Four Pilots were selected in the 2007 MLB draft. Currently, eight former players are in the professional ranks (Hull, Casto, Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Given Kutz, Joe Jones, Chris Siegfried, Josh Roberts and Travis Vetters).
In 2002, Sperry led Portland to a second-place finish in the West Division of the West Coast Conference (16-14) and a 24-30 overall record, while losing seven games by two runs or less. In 1999, the Pilots also finished second in the West Division with a 16-14 conference record. Portland was third in the overall WCC standings, and finished 23-28 overall, including 11 losses by two runs or less. Portland’s 23 wins in 1999 were an improvement of 13 wins over the 1998 season. Sperry’s first recruiting class as head coach included three players selected in the 1996 Major League draft.
Prior to his head coaching position at UP, Sperry served as the head assistant at Portland State under Dave Dangler from September, 1997 through January, 1998. He also served two seasons (1996 and '97) at Centralia College (Wash.) and was a volunteer assistant at the University of Portland in 1990.
After his collegiate career at Portland, Sperry was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Dodgers and played one season (1989) at class A Salem (Ore.) in the Northwest League.
Sperry was an infielder and catcher at the University of Portland from 1985-87 and in 1989. He played two seasons under Terry Pollreisz and two under former coach and former athletic director Joe Etzel. Sperry was a member of the 1989 squad that won the Pacific-10 Northern Division Tournament championship and earned the program's first NCAA (West Regional) berth in 11 years. A two-time team captain and Most Inspirational Player award winner, Sperry was an All-Pac-10 N.D. selection in 1987. He batted .410 in league play as a freshman, is the UP career leader with 102 walks and is fourth all-time with 399 assists.
A native of Brush Prairie, Wash., where he attended Prairie High School, Sperry was an all-state pick and Prairie's Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a senior. He earned a Washington State Initial Teaching Certificate (K-8) at Heritage College in Toppenish, Wash. in 1995 and was the assistant baseball coach at Davis HS in Yakima, Wash. from 1993-95. Sperry also assisted the Yakima Valley and Vancouver Cardinals American Legion clubs. Sperry was the head coach of the state of Oregon's team at the 1997 Olympic Trials.
Sperry is married to former University of Portland volleyball player Andrea Buckley (Portland '90). They have three daughters: Jessica Lane (14), Gracie Mae (10), and Charlie Anne (9).