Former Babe Ruth Coach Named Assistant Coach for Tulane University

G ABE B ORUFF

Tulane University Head Baseball Coach Travis Jewett has named Gabe Boruff as his third and final assistant on the Green Wave Staff.  Boruff most recently served as the Head Coach of Columbia Basin College during the 2015-16 seasons. 

"I am extremely excited to round out our on field coaching staff with the addition of Gabe Boruff," stated Jewett. "Gabe brings a wealth of knowledge from many levels of professional, college and summer baseball. He is a very good baseball mind and will be a great asset on both sides of the ball here at Tulane University. I am confident our players will love his passion and investment level. Please help me welcome Gabe to the Tulane Baseball family."

Boruff's 2016 Hawks club posted a 34-14 record, while going 19-9 in the Northwest Athletic Conference. Seven of his pupils were named to the East Region All-Star team, while three were selected to the All-NWAC Team. Infielder Brendan McClary set a CBC wood-bat era record for batting average by hitting .419. Hurler Tanner Simpson posted a team-leading 1.51 ERA, good for second in the league, while outfielder Colton Kelly hit .324 with scoring 35 runs and collecting 25 RBI.

During his first year as a head coach at CBC, Boruff's squad finished the season 32-15. Spencer Binnion led the Hawks with a .349 batting average, while Gunnar Buhner – the son of former Major League All-Star Jay Buhner – hit .313. Hayden Meier (.337) and Joey Cotto (.311) were also heavily responsible for the Hawks' team batting average of .280.

On the mound in 2015, Jacob Gleichman went 5-2 with a 3.31 ERA to pace the pitching staff.

Prior to becoming the head coach at CBC, Boruff was an assistant coach at Washington State (2008-11). Boruff was a part of three winning seasons at Washington State, including two trips to the NCAA Regionals. In Pullman, Boruff served as the catching coach, and assisted with the pitching staff.

In 2010, the Cougars went 37-22 overall, making it to the finals of the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. The 37 wins were the most by a Washington State squad since the team went 37-25 in 1991.

In 2009, the Cougars snapped a 14-year NCAA drought when the team made it to the NCAA Normal Regional in 2009. That club posted a second-place finish in the Pac-10 in 2009 with a 19-8 record in league play. Boruff coached Derek Jones, who was named a Freshman All-American in 2009 before eventually being drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the eighth round of the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft.

Boruff came to Washington State with a wealth of experience after a professional playing career. He served as the lead assistant at Wenatchee Valley College for three seasons (2005-07), in addition to serving as the head coach for the Babe Ruth League Columbia Basin River Dogs (2004-05) and the West Coast Collegiate League Moses Lake Pirates (2006-07). He led the River Dogs to a third-place finish at the 2005 Babe Ruth League World Series and was named WCCBL Coach of the Year in 2007 after guiding the Pirates to a league title. In 2010, he skippered the St. Cloud (Minn.) River Bats of the Northwoods League.

After a standout career at Lewis-Clark State where he helped the Warriors' to two NAIA National Championships (1999 and 2000), Boruff spent a year in the Kansas City Royals organization with the Arizona Rookie League Royals and the Wilmington Blue Rocks. In 2004, he played five games with the Mid-Missouri Mavericks of the Frontier League.

A native of Ephrata, Washington, Boruff lettered two years in football and three years in baseball at Ephrata High School. He was an all-league catcher during his junior (1997) and senior (1998) seasons was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 35th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Gabe Boruff is the son of Northern Washington Babe Ruth State Commissioner, Columbia Basin League President, and World Series Host President, Randy Boruff. 

Gabe and his wife Erika have three children: Blake, Drew and Camryn.