With the departure of long-time baseball manager Andrew Barragan
– who last week agreed to become an assistant coach for Billy
Aviles at San Benito High – the Hawks will turn to one of their own
to continue the winning ways developed in the past five years.
With the departure of long-time baseball manager Andrew Barragan – who last week agreed to become an assistant coach for Billy Aviles at San Benito High – the Hawks will turn to one of their own to continue the winning ways developed in the past five years.
Athletic Director Sam Stewart announced Monday that he would be taking over the baseball program that finished last year with a school-best 16-9 overall record and 12-0 in the Coastal Athletic League. For the past two season, Stewart, a 2005 graduate of the school and a four-year college player at Menlo College, served as the assistant coach under Barragan.
“I don’t want to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “I just want to continue the success we’ve had the past few seasons.”
Under Barragan, the Hawks have won the past three league championships – highlighted by last season’s perfect league record.
“We finished on a high point,” Barragan said. “But I can’t tell you how hard it was to leave.”
Barragan was only the second coach in Anzar history after replacing Leroy Dozel before the 2007 season. Barragan leaves with posting an overall record of 39-60-1 but moved the program forward by getting better each year. The year before he took over, the Hawks finished with an overall record of 1-12.
“He didn’t start the program but he built it to what it is today,” former player Blake Selsor said. “He is going to be a big loss.”
Selsor, a 2011 graduate, started at second base for Barragan during his four years at the school. He graduated in Barragan’s first senior class.
“That was one of the hardest things – watching those seniors go,” he said.
But that pales in comparison to leaving the program he helped grow.
Barragan’s involvement with Anzar baseball started in 1999 – the first year of the program. And his father – Raymond C Barragan – paid for the team’ s first jerseys in the program’s first year.
“I’ve spent a lot of time over there,” he said. “It was hard to leave.”
But Barragan is a Baler at heart. A graduate of San Benito High in 1989, Barragan always wanted to return to the same diamond where he spent so much time in high school.
“I bleed scarlet,” he said.
The change will give the coach an opportunity to teach at a high level, with a higher level of athletes and competition.
“I’m excited for the is opportunity,” he said. “It’s humbling that coach (Billy) Aviles chose me. He could have chosen other coaches and dads in the area but he wanted me to be a part of this team.”
At Anzar, the transition will be minimal – at least that’s the goal, Stewart said.
“Well, it hurts to lose someone that’s been able to develop this program to expect to win,” he said.
Despite the success under Barragan, Stewart never expected him to remain at Anzar for much longer – he was bound to leave.
“Look, I didn’t think we was going to stay forever,” he said. “We are confident that we will be able to continue to build on what he did here.”
Regardless of Barragan’s exit, the former coach’s presence will be felt for a long time.
“Coach Barragan gave a lot to not only baseball, but to the whole sports program,” Stewart said.
