A member of Pepperdine's 1992 national championship team and an assistant coach for the Waves the past four seasons, Steve Rodriguez, 32, became the University's 16th head baseball coach when he was named to the position on June 18, 2002. Rodriguez, who earned All-American honors in 1991 and 1992, becomes only the third former Pepperdine player to assume the head coaching duties for the Waves in the program's 64-year history. Gary Marks became the first former Pepperdine player to pilot the program when he skippered the program from 1963-67.

Rodriguez, a fifth-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 1992, was named WCC "Player of the Year" in 1992 as the Waves posted a 48 – 11 mark and captured the College World Series (CWS) title. Rodriguez was named to the All – CWS team and was part of two memorable plays in Omaha – a grand slam that helped defeat Texas in the semifinal round and a late-inning defensive gem in the Waves' 3-2 win over local rival Cal State Fullerton in the championship game.A first-team All-West Coast Conference (WCC) selection in 1991 and 1992, Rodriguez made a big splash as a sophomore in 1991 when he batted .419, the second highest single-season average in school history. His 104 base hits that season are a Pepperdine single-season record. He currently ranks in the Top 10 in five different single-season categories. This past fall, Rodriguez was named one of the WCC's Top 50 athletes of all-time that was announced by the conference office.

Rodriguez returned to Pepperdine to earn his Master's Degree in Educational Technology in 2003.