All-Area Baseball: Maranatha's Dylan Covey earns Player of the Year; Maranatha's DeHaan is Coach of the Year

HONORABLE MENTION

Alhambra: Greg Saldate, Jr.; Arcadia: David Huntzinger, Sr.; A.J. Smouse, Sr.; Flintridge Prep: Aaron Fried, Sr.; Gabrielino: Angel Acosta, Fr.; La Canada: Bryan Collins, Sr.; A.J. Kim, Sr.; Maranatha: Tony Li, Jr.; Monrovia: Conrad Council, Sr.; Richard Kilbury, Sr.; Robert Nakamura, Jr.; Pasadena Poly: Charlie Baxter, Jr.; Matt Saeta, So.; Rio Hondo Prep: Nick Preciado; St. Francis: A.J. Berglund, Jr.; Mark Saatzer, Sr.; San Marino: Dylan Bensinger, Sr.; Andrew Sloan, Sr.; Temple City: Jordan Halladay, Sr.; Dusty Sanderson, Jr.

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Covey major reason for Maranatha's success

By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer

It's been only two years, but Maranatha High School's Dylan Covey has come a long way since going 2-6 on the mound as a freshman for the varsity.

That pudgy kid has become an intimidating, 6-foot-2 presence. But perhaps even more scary is that he's only a junior.

"He came in, and there was a lot of excitement around him," Maranatha coach Brian DeHaan said. "I remember him throwing high 80-mph fastballs, occasionally hitting 89 and 90."

Covey adjusted his game as the competition increased, adding pitches, learning to get ahead of hitters, and understanding there was no need to strike out every batter.

"He's grown tremendously," DeHaan said. "When you look at him as a freshman, he pitched in a number of games, but it's a big jump to play varsity baseball from whatever league you played previously. He made huge strides from his freshman and sophomore year."

After his sophomore year, Covey went to Jupiter, Fla., where he took part in the PGWWBA World Championship.

He made a name for himself there, striking out 18 batters in a game against the Kansas City Royals scouts.

"Locally, I don't think people understand or appreciate his talent," DeHaan said, "but nationally they understand it."

If they didn't know him then, they sure do now.

Covey finished 11-2 this season with 127 strikeouts and led Maranatha to a CIF-Southern Section Division V championship.

Covey struck out 13 in a 3-1 victory over Woodcrest Christian, pitching a complete game and allowing one run on just two hits.

For his sportsmanship, immense talent and accomplishments this season, Covey is the Star-News 2009 baseball Player of the Year.

It was clear that Covey was the leading force behind Maranatha's success this season. Without him, it's unclear how much the Minutemen would have accomplished.

But Covey has always been one to give credit to his teammates, especially the seniors. Being in the spotlight wasn't something he was receptive to, and always preferred sharing it.

"He was a humble kid then and he's a humble kid now," DeHaan said.

Pitching in pressure-packed games isn't new to Covey, either.

"Dylan's played with pressure since he was probably 11 years old," DeHaan said. "He's competed in all-stars and the pressure has continued; it increases as he gets older."

Because he's consistently thrown in the mid-90s, there's talk that Covey could be a high draft pick in Major League Baseball's amateur draft next season.

Covey deals with the pressure with such poise that one must wonder where he draws that calmness from.

It starts with his father, Darrell, who was drafted by the New York Mets in 1968.

"He has a great support group around him," DeHaan said. "They protect him from a lot of the hoopla."

Watching Covey's game face is no different from watching him eat a pack of sunflower seeds; he's focused and determined, with one goal in mind - get the job done.

"Like I said, he's a special talent," DeHaan said. "He's a competitor, and that's not something you can teach a kid. He absolutely loves to compete."

miguel.melendez@sgvn.com
(626) 578-6300, Ext. 4485

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Multiple hats fit Maranatha's DeHaan just fine

By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer

All season long, Maranatha High School baseball coach Brian DeHaan wore two hats on and off the field.

"I told them I'm your biggest fan and I'm your biggest critic," DeHaan said. "I'll be your biggest supporter, but I owe it to you to let you know when you're not meeting your potential as well because I definitely knew their potential."

Then there was the other hat, DeHaan as the school's athletic director.

Juggling both positions never became overwhelming, but the pressure was growing after DeHaan led Maranatha's baseball team to the finals of last year's CIF-Southern Section Division VI playoffs.

"I knew that after losing one senior there was some pressure early on, and to have that many kids return - even though we moved up a division - we expected to at the very least get back to that game," DeHaan said. "But as a coach you try to protect your kids from that (pressure). It's something I wouldn't have admitted early in the season."

Almost to the date, DeHaan had Maranatha back in the finals.

Dylan Covey's deft pitching skills, coupled with the resilience of the Minutemen's three seniors - Jordan Calloway, Josh Forrester and Cory Popham - proved to be the winning recipe.

But it was DeHaan who continually reminded his team what it felt like to lose and what they had to do to replace that bitter taste. The motivation was there and DeHaan hammered it home every chance he could.

His efforts paid off when the Minutemen got it done, ousting Woodcrest Christian 3-1 to win the Division V championship.

And just like that, Maranatha went from a baseball program that had won 11 games combined in the three previous seasons before DeHaan's arrival to a perennial power.

"I've always said, winning truly is a byproduct of hard work and character," DeHaan said. "And that's what we displayed."

For his accomplishments in leading the Minutemen to a CIF championship, DeHaan is the Star-News 2009 baseball Coach of the Year.

DeHaan is in his 10th year coaching high school baseball. He served a one-year stint in Colorado before coaching at Azusa and then Maranatha.

"When you come in to a new job, my goal coming in to a new program is to leave it better than when I took it over," DeHaan said. "I feel we did that at Azusa and now at Maranatha."

In DeHaan's first year as coach, the Minutemen improved drastically by winning 15 games, advanced to the second round of the playoffs his second season, won 18 games and the Delphic League title and made a finals appearance his third year.

Maranatha this season had the most wins (25) in the program's history, won the Alpha League title and brought home its first hardware since 1994.

"We felt winning league would put us in a good position for the postseason as far as brackets, and I think it did that," DeHaan said. "We played postseason baseball the last four games of the season and under pressure for the last two weeks; our kids responded."

DeHaan embraced the position of athletic director, watching numerous programs win CIF titles and make deep postseason runs.

"It's not that difficult to be both a coach and athletic director when you have great administrators, support staff, coaches and assistants," DeHaan said. "As an athletic director, it's my job to get my coaches to work together and I need to lead by example."

Well done.

miguel.melendez@sgvn.com
(626) 578-6300, Ext. 4485