Willie Gawlik begins his fifth season as head baseball coach at The University of Texas-Pan American.

The UTPA head baseball coach took the helm for the Broncs prior to the beginning of the 2003 season, and since his arrival in the Rio Grande Valley, Gawlik has worked on rewriting the history of the program that he played for during his collegiate career.

There is nobody in the Rio Grande Valley that knows or appreciates the tradition of UTPA baseball more that Gawlik as the former Bronc standout was a member of only team in University history to reach the College World Series during the 1971 season.

As a three-year starter, Gawlik played a significant role on that squad as the Broncs defeated the University of Texas twice in the NCAA Playoffs then advanced to the College World Series where the Broncs finished fourth overall at the conclusion of the 1971 campaign.

Playing under the direction and tutelage of legendary coach and UTPA Hall of Famer Al Ogletree, Gawlik developed the passion and drive to create his own legacy for the future of the Broncs' program.

As he enters his fifth season at the leader of the UTPA diamondmen, Gawlik has seen the program make dramatic leaps in their progress while continuing to bring the excitement of the game to both his players as well as the Rio Grande Valley community.

Following the conclusion of the 2006 season where the Broncs finished with a 24-29 record, the UTPA diamondmen had five players sign professional contracts, including two players selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Left-handed pitcher Bobby Gomez was selected in the 24th round by the St. Louis Cardinals while closer Tim Haines was drafted in the 27th round by the New York Mets.

After the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, UTPA starter Dane Mason signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds while pitchers Kelly Casares and Aaron Guerra each inked professional contracts with the Edinburg Coyotes of the United League Baseball.

Following the 2006 season, Gawlik said goodbye to one of the top players in program history in senior Louie Alamia, who flourished under tutelage of the UTPA head baseball coach. Alamia became the program's all-time leader in hits, at-bats, triples and total bases while finishing in the top five in eight total categories. He also became the first player in program history to earn four consecutive trips to the All-Independent Team at the conclusion of the season.

In his third season as head coach, the Broncs posted a 15-39 record during the 2005 season while playing a crop of teams that accumulated to the 17th toughest baseball schedule among all NCAA Division I programs that campaign.

That season, Gawlik guided the Broncs to victories over nationally-ranked opponents University of Arizona and Coastal Carolina to go along with triumphs over Creighton, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, University of New Orleans and Western Kentucky.

In his second season at the helm for the Broncs, Gawlik helped the Broncs record a 22-31 record while watching as the RPI Ranking for UTPA went from 213th to as high as 93rd in the nation that campaign. The Broncs recorded victories over 2004 College World Series qualifiers University of Arkansas to go along with Mid-Continent Conference champions and regional qualifiers Oral Roberts University.

In his inaugural season at head coach of the Broncs, Gawlik helped UTPA post a 21-33 record after the Valley's squad finished under the .500-mark during the 2002 campaign. The Broncs recorded victories over post-season tournament participants Lamar, Sam Houston State, Oral Roberts, Southwest Texas State and Dallas Baptist during the 2003 campaign.

With his dedication to helping his alma mater return to national status, Gawlik has taken much of the program development into his own hands as he coordinated the UTPA Baseball Scholarship Golf Tournament, which is now in its fifth season. During his five years with the UTPA baseball program, Gawlik has invested a tremendous amount of time in several other fundraising efforts for the program that have raised over $100,000 for the Broncs.

During the 2006 UTPA Baseball Scholarship Golf Tournament, Gawlik brought down former UTPA All-American and current pitching coach for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Jim Hickey for the third straight season. He has also assisted in the development of the Tommy Sandoval Endowed Scholarship Fund, which is named after his former collegiate teammate.

Along with his efforts to moving his program forward to becoming fully-funded, Gawlik is also a tireless recruiter and has brought a dedication in signing and developing quality student-athletes, who wear the Green and Orange with pride.

As the head of the UTPA baseball program, Gawlik takes responsibility for the coordination of the UTPA Bronc Summer Baseball Camps as well as organizing all fall and off-season workouts, including weights, agility and skill programs. With the help of his coaching staff, the Broncs are constantly developing new and modern methods that allow the program to remain competitive against the best of the best in collegiate baseball.

Gawlik has been determined to recognize the success the program has seen in the past by creating opportunities for past teams to reunite at current UTPA baseball events. The UTPA head coach is the Chairman of the 1971 College World Series Team, who gathered at the 2004 Al Ogletree Classic where the veterans were able to watch as the Broncs claimed the tournament title.

Before the former Bronc returned, Gawlik spent one season as head coach at the University of Central Arkansas where the Bears were in the hunt for a playoff spot until the final game of the season while defeating top-ranked Delta State - a NCAA Division II College World Series participant.

At UCA, Gawlik coached one NCAA All-South Central Regional Player, one Freshman of the Year in the Gulf South Conference and three All-Gulf South Conference players. The Bears also claimed one All-South Central Region spot while nine players earned Academic All-Conference honors.

Along with coaching the players into top honors, Gawlik was the Chairman for the fundraiser to raise $150,000 to light the baseball field. The project was completed prior to the beginning of the 2004 baseball season.

Prior to his work at UCA, Gawlik built a regional play program at Texas Wesleyan where the Rams made three consecutive post-season playoff appearances. His 2000 Texas Wesleyan team was ranked 23rd in the nation and advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs en route to securing a 37-21 record that campaign.

In 2000-01, Gawlik coached three NCAA Division II All-Americans, five All-West Regional players and saw five players sign professional contracts. In addition, the team broke most of the school's team and individual offensive records during his tenure. Along with the team's athletic success, Gawlik instilled a high demand of academic success. During his last seven semesters at TWU, 28 of his student-athletes earned their degrees.

Gawlik started his coaching career after graduating from UTPA in 1972 where he made his mark from the high school ranks into the realm of collegiate baseball. Well-respected in his field, Gawlik has professional affiliations with the American Baseball Coaches Association, Texas High School Coaches Association, Society of American Baseball Research and the Ex-Pros Association.

Gawlik and his wife, Roe, reside in Edinburg, TX, with their two dogs - Slugger and Dodger.