COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs department of Athletics announced Wednesday the hiring of Tanner Spencer as second Head Coach of the UCCS Baseball program. Spencer takes over after previous head coach and program founder Dave Hajek retired from his position at the conclusion of the 2026 season.
"We are thrilled to welcome Tanner Spencer as the next head coach of UCCS Baseball," said UCCS Executive Director of Athletics Nathan Gibson. "Throughout the search process, Tanner consistently distinguished himself as the top candidate and an exceptional fit for our department's culture, expectations, and values. He is a proven winner, a strong program builder, and an outstanding recruiter who understands what it takes to develop a championship-caliber program.
What stood out the most is Tanner's deep commitment to the total development of our student-athletes. He is intentional about investing in their growth not only as players, but as students, leaders, and people. Tanner approaches coaching with a genuine desire to make a lasting impact in the lives of the young men in his program, and he takes seriously the responsibility to help shape them during this important season of their lives.
We are excited for Coach Spencer to build on the strong foundation already established within our baseball program and lead Mountain Lion Baseball into its next chapter."
Tanner Spencer joins the Mountain Lion family after spending seven seasons at the University of Mary in Bismarck, N. D. and is coming off his most successful season with the Marauders. This spring, Spencer led his team to 37 wins, while going 27-10 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), both totals being program records for Mary Baseball, earning Spencer the NSIC Coach of the Year honor. This spring alone, Spencer's athletes totaled five All-NSIC selections, Two NSIC All-Tournament performers, four All-Region athletes, 10 NSIC All-Academic Team members, 13 NSIC Academic Team of Excellence honorees, and one All-American Honorable Mention (Cole Smith, NCBWA).
In seven seasons with the Marauders, Spencer was 155-155 overall, while finishing 116-100 in Northern Sun contests, reaching the postseason five of the seven seasons including the shortened 2020 campaign. The winningest coach in the program's history, Coach Spencer also stressed the importance of academic success, with his program maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or better during his time in Bismarck, garnering 91 NSIC All-Academic players, 13 NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic Award recipients, ten CSC Academic All-Academic All-District players, and two CSC Academic All-Americans.
"I'm extremely grateful for Mr. Gibson and the entire search committee for their trust and the opportunity to lead UCCS Baseball," said Coach Spencer. "I'm excited to continue to build on the foundation that Coach Hajek has set forth. I am fully committed to building a championship level culture that not only aids in the development of championships on the field but also helps to form exceptional young men that our alumni base, university and community can be proud of."
Coach Spencer takes over a UCCS Baseball program that is coming off their most successful season in program history, setting program team records in wins (33), batting average (.356), Slugging Percentage (.617), On Base Percentage (.442), Runs Scored (538), Hits (641), Home Runs (108), Runs Batted In (488), Total Bases (1,111), and Walks (242). 20 different student-athletes earned awards both academically and athletically, with the squad winning 33 games overall and 21 in the RMAC.
Coach Spencer will begin his position on Monday, June 15th.
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
