while Erstad has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2011.

—Mike Scioscia knows a thing or two about being a baseball coach. He was a manager in Major League Baseball for 19 seasons, all with the Angels.The climax of his coaching career came in 2002 when the Angels won the World Series. Two players on that team were UC Riverside head coach Troy Percival and Nebraska head coach Darin Erstad. The former teammates and friends will square-off next weekend in a four game series from Feb. 15-17 at the Riverside Baseball Complex."The one common denominator was their presence," Scioscia said. "They weren't always loud, but you could tell then that they were natural leaders."Percival has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2014,"They are both very loyal and I know appreciate the opportunity to be at their alma maters," Scioscia said. "They want to do what they can to benefit their schools."Percival and Erstad had a unique relationship during their nine years as teammates. Scioscia could see it from the beginning."They were drawn together as teammates," Scioscia said. "They may have played different positions, but that didn't matter. They both wanted to do well for the team."Scioscia would do his best to go and see his two former players manage against each other when the games were played in Tempe, Arizona. even though the Angels were just beginning Spring Training.This marks the third installment of the two universities playing each other. However, this is the first time the series comes to Riverside. The other two years, the games were played in Tempe. The record between the two coaches is tied 2-2, with the teams splitting a game a piece the last two seasons.In Game 7 of the 2002 World Series with Percival on the mound and Erstad in center field, the Angels were one out away from winning the World Series when a fly ball was hit to right-center field. Erstad camped under the ball to secure the win and championship. It's just another way the two are connected."They were always motivated to win and achieve greatness," Scioscia said. "It's easy to see how they got to this point."To buy tickets for the series, click here