Ryan Marcos gets head baseball position at Bonita

Ryan Marcos, 35, has been named head baseball coach at Bonita, succeeding Samuel Lopez who lasted just a year.

Marcos was a finalist for the position a year ago when the school selected Lopez to replace John Knott who had been at Bonita for a decade but left for a position at Mt. SAC.

He jumped at the chance to apply a second time and the school is happy he did.

“He was very high on our list the first time,” said new principal Kenny Ritchie. “He has great energy and passion for the game.”

Marcos has been around the game his entire life. Father Joe was the longtime coach and later athletic director at Don Lugo. Ryan played for his father, excelling at shortstop and graduating in 2000.

He went on to play two years at Orange Coast College, then transferred to Azusa Pacific where he played another two seasons and earned his degree in kinesiology.

He will teach physical education at Bonita.

Marcos was the head coach at Duarte the last two years and was an assistant at the school for the seven previous seasons.

He has also coached at the collegiate level, leading the Inland Valley Pirates of the Southern California Collegiate Baseball League – a summer league.

“I know I have big shoes to fill and a lot is expected there but I am looking forward to the challenge,” Marcos said. “I am very familiar with the school. My grandmother has lived across the street from the school for 60 years and my mom, aunt and uncle all graduated from there. So I jumped at the opportunity when it opened up.”

Despite being a  veteran coach, he still seeks advice from his dad.

“We talk every day,” Ryan said. “He’ll be around.”

 

Share this
Plusone Twitter Facebook Tumblr Reddit Stumbleupon Email

Sam Lopez resigns after just one season with Bonita baseball program

Sam Lopez has resigned as baseball coach at Bonita after just one season, principal Derek Bub confirmed.

The Bearcats had some key injuries and had a subpar season by their standards, finishing just 15-11 overall and 7-8 in the Palomares League which was only good enough for fourth place.

Lopez had the tough task of replacing popular coach John Knott was stepped down to take the head position at nearby Mt. SAC. Knott was 247-75-2 in his decade with the program with just one losing season.

“It’s always tough to be that guy that replaces a popular coach,” Bub said, “We’re sorry to see him go after just a year but I think we’ll have a good pool of candidates for this job this time,

Lopez did note return messages left for him.

Share this
Plusone Twitter Facebook Tumblr Reddit Stumbleupon Email

Bonita’s Tommy Delgado commits to Loyola Marymount

Bonita baseball standout Tommy Delgado has decided on a college and it is NCAA Division I Loyola Marymount.

He didn’t see a need to wait any longer to make his decision public. He visited the school last month and also made unofficial trips to Arizona, Cal State Fullerton, USC and St. Mary’s.

He was considering a handful of other schools as well.

“It was a school that met all my needs and wants,” he said. “I wanted to stay relatively close to home and I like the location. The coaches were amazing and it’s a good academic school. They have also sent players to the pros and that was a big thing for me too.”

Delgado has been a two year starter for the Bearcats, drawing playing time immediately as a freshman in 2015, hitting .316 with 17 RBI and 21 runs scored in 31 games.

The past season he hit .388 with 33 runs scored, 25 RBI, 7 doubles, 5 triples and 5 home runs.

Delgado can play a variety of positions but his favorite is shortstop and that’s is the position the Lions were recruiting him at.

“I’ll play where ever they need me but that’s where I prefer to play and I think it’s my best position,” he said.

He plans to major in business.

Share this
Plusone Twitter Facebook Tumblr Reddit Stumbleupon Email

Samuel Lopez named new baseball coach at Bonita

Bonita Baseball

Samuel Lopez wasn’t looking for a new teaching and coaching position.

But when you’re successful, sometimes those positions find you.

Lopez, 33, who led Carter to a league baseball title three times in five years as head coach, has been approved as the new coach at Bonita.

Lopez replaces John Knott, who stepped down last month to take the job as coach at Mt. San Antonio College.

“They reached out to me, to see if I was interested in applying. I wasn’t looking to leave (Carter), but Bonita’s a very successful, established program. I thought it was worth taking a look at,” Lopez said.

In five years at Carter, Lopez compiled a 98-40 record, making the playoffs in all five years, and winning a league title three times, including this season in the Citrus Belt League. Each of the last three seasons Carter won at least one playoff game, including a run to the CIF Southern Section quarterfinals in 2015. Prior to Lopez’s arrival, Carter had missed the playoffs four straight seasons.

“When I came to Carter, there was no real expectation,” he said. “But there’s an expectation there now.”

While he helped create an expectation to win at Carter, there has been that expectation at Bonita for a long time. Bonita won a CIF-SS title under Knott in 2012.

“There’s the expectation to win and to remain one of the better programs in the area. (The Palomares League) is one of the toughest leagues in Division 2,” Loepz said.

Knott announced his resignation before the end of the season and Bonita fell in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs, Carter lost in the second round of the Division 2 playoffs.

Lopez, a product of Miller High School, Chaffey College and Cal State San Bernardino, taught health at Carter and will teach physical education at Bonita. He said one of his assistant coaches at Carter, Adam Fimbres, will join him at Bonita. Carter pitching coach David Nolasco plans to stay at Carter, Lopez said.

Share this
Plusone Twitter Facebook Tumblr Reddit Stumbleupon Email

Palomares League boasts top-notch baseball

When it comes to high school sports in the Inland Valley, the Baseline gets the most attention. And rightfully so.

Not only is the champion of that league likely to make a pretty significant impact in the playoffs, so are the teams that finish second or third.

The biggest example of that is boys basketball where Damien, Etiwanda and Chino Hills all made deep playoff runs with Damien and Chino Hills also getting to STATE championship finals.

But when it comes to baseball, the Palomares League is better, at least this season. It’s a new league this season and it has an interesting mix of teams. You have two reigning league champions from last year in Glendora (Baseline) and Bonita (Hacienda).

And you have two teams that were second to those in Diamond Bar, which was just behind Bonita and South Hills, which finished a nudge behind Chino Hills in the Sierra.

Then there are Ayala and Claremont.

At one point this season four teams from the league were ranked in the CIF Division 2 poll. Bonita and Ayala faltered last week so South Hills (4) and Glendora (6) are the ones still holding strong in the latest poll released Monday.

South Hills went into first place today wit ha 4-2 win over Ayala. Both coaches Darren Murphy of South Hill and Chris Vogt of Ayala talked about how tough the league is and how at least one good team will be left out when it comes to the playoffs.

This year there are no at-large bids to a fourth-place finisher so it will be the top three advancing. Right now its Bonita the odd team out but there is a long way to go. There are sure to be some hard-fought, intense games the rest of the way.

Here’s what the coaches had to say after Wednesday’s game:

VIDEO: Ayala coach Chris Vogt

VIDEO: Bonita coach Darren Murphy

Share this
Plusone Twitter Facebook Tumblr Reddit Stumbleupon Email