Mike Burns serves as an Assistant Coach for Highlander baseball with an emphasis on UC Riverside's pitching staff, entering his fifth year in the dugout in 2025.
Burns came to UC Riverside after volunteering at Don Lugo High School and coaching his boys in Little League and travel ball following a highly-successful professional career both on the mound and as a coach.
A 1996 graduate of Diamond Bar High School, where he played both football and baseball, Burns helped 17 pitchers reach The Show across a two-year minor league coaching career with the Lancaster Jethawks (Houston Astros' A affiliate) and Orem Owlz (Los Angeles Angels' A affiliate). Burns' coaching chops in the minors came after two years with the Astros' front office as a Rehab Coordinator, where he worked with all levels of players from the Big League team down to Rookie ball.
Burns enjoyed a nine-year professional career, primarily in the Houston Astros' organization. He spent three years in Houston's farm system after being drafted in the 30th round of the 2000 amateur draft out of Cal State LA. He was a two-time all-star in the 2002 Midwest League and 2004 Texas League, in addition to being named the 2004 Relief Man of the Year with an 11-3 record and a 1.67 ERA in 56 appearances and 80.2 innings pitched.
Burns made his major league debut on May 13th, 2005 with the Astros, helping the club reach its first World Series in franchise history that year. He went on to spend time with the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox before playing two years in the minor league system for the Pawtucket Red Sox and Iowa Cubs. Burns was also a part of the Milwaukee Brewers' 2009 starting rotation.
Burns and his wife, Sonja, have three boys: John, Jacob and Jagger.
