May 29, 2026 - 6:21 pm

UNLV has hired College of Southern Nevada coach and Rebels hall of famer Nick Garritano as coach of the UNLV baseball program, Rebels officials announced Friday.

Garritano is a former student-athlete at UNLV as place kicker on the UNLV football team (1991-94). He is the team’s second all-time leading scorer with 240 points, earning him the nickname Nick “The Kick” Garritano.

He became a successful baseball coach at both the high school and college levels, most recently at the CSN, where he served as coach for 16 years, leading the Coyotes to a record of 632-271 as well as a pair of NJCAA World Series appearances in 2017 and 2024.

“The opportunity to take over the UNLV baseball program is truly a dream come true,” Garritano said in a statement. “Having lived in Las Vegas for 48 years, I grew up watching and supporting every aspect of UNLV athletics, creating a lifelong connection to the university.”

Garritano graduated from Chaparral High. He produced 22 MLB draft selections while with CSN and eight NJCAA All-Americans.

The hiring comes a week after the retirement of UNLV coach Stan Stolte. Stolte 64, spent 16 seasons with the Rebels, joining the program as an associate coach in 2010 before being promoted to head coach in 2016.

In the past seven years, the Rebels have seen 16 players drafted. Stolte developed 22 All-Americans and five conference pitchers of the year.

“After coaching at Green Valley High School and the College of Southern Nevada for the past 28 years, leading the baseball program at UNLV brings my journey in our wonderful community full circle,” said Garritano.

Contact Donovan Hicks at dhicks@reviewjournal.com.