Forgive San Benito Head Coach Michael Luna if he didn’t believe
the news when he first heard it.
Andrew Matheson Sports Editor
Hollister – Forgive San Benito Head Coach Michael Luna if he didn’t believe the news when he first heard it.
It was July 1, and Luna was coaching at a baseball tournament in Paso Robles when he received two phone calls congratulating him on his coach of the year award.
One call was from John Diatte of Valley Christian High School and the other was from Gary Cunningham of Bellarmine High School. The only problem was that the trio of coaches tend to pull pranks on one another, so when Luna received the first call, he didn’t believe it.
“When I found out about it, two of my peers called me up congratulating me on the award and I hadn’t heard about it,” Luna said. “When I got the first call, I thought they’re just making it up. A couple of hours later, I got another message. Then I thought it must be true.”
Luna’s beliefs turned into reality when he returned home from Paso Robles to an e-mail from NorCalPreps.com, announcing him as the 2007 Baseball Coach of the Year.
In three years at San Benito, Luna has coached the Haybalers to a 75-23 record. In his first year, the ‘Balers went 22-9, but fell to St. Francis in the opening round of the section playoffs. In his second year, the ‘Balers set a school record for wins by compiling a 24-5 record, but lost in the quarterfinals to Santa Teresa.
This past season, the ‘Balers improved once again. San Benito completed the season at 29-9, breaking the record for the amount of wins set from one year before, as well as finishing runner-up in the Central Coast Section to Valley Christian.
And with a new rule limiting the amount of games a team can play to 30, Luna feels the 29 wins his San Benito team put up last year may hold for some time.
“We actually set the school record in wins two years ago, and we broke it last year,” he said. “I think 29 wins will be a record for a long, long time.”
Of course, much of Luna’s success doesn’t come as much of a shock to some of his peers.
Santa Teresa Head Coach Steve Beaulieu has known Luna for seven years. Beaulieu highlighted Luna’s “knowledge of the game and the ability to teach his players what he knows.”
“He’s arguably the best coach in Northern California, if not the state,” Beaulieu said. “When you play a team coached by Mike Luna, the kids aren’t going to be surprised by anything. They’ll be fundamentally-solid and that’s because the kids buy in to what he teaches.”
Beaulieu’s Santa Teresa squad has met San Benito the past two years in the playoffs, with Santa Teresa winning in 2006, while San Benito got revenge in 2007.
Said Beaulieu, “I think if we keep playing against Coach Luna in the CCS playoffs, we’re doing something right since he’s there as well.”
West Valley College Athletic Director Mike Perez, who recently stepped down as baseball coach after 17 years at West Valley, has known Luna since high school. He says Luna’s even-keeled demeanor, where he spends just as much time teaching the freshmen as he does the seniors, is the reason behind his success.
“In my opinion, I’m very good friends with Mike, and I think Mike does the best job,” Perez said. “He is one of the finest coaches in the area. From where I am at the college level, I constantly critique talent, and he is just an outstanding coach.
“I think he does the best job in the entire area, and I mean that because of the full commitment to the kids.”
Luna’s full commitment was needed entering last season. While his team did make it to the CCS championship game, the season for the ‘Balers wasn’t met without some adversity.
The ‘Balers entered their 2007 campaign having lost 10 seniors and seven all-leaguers from one year before. Additionally, Luna was without a catcher, a spot he believes to be the second most important position on the field after the pitcher.
“We were very young and very inexperienced, so I was concerned,” Luna said. Luckily, the catcher spot was filled by then-sophomore Kyle Zozaya, who Luna said arguably could have been the MVP of the team. The squad as a whole not only met but broke the number of wins it had from one year before.
“It’s nice to be recognized, but you have to have the players,” Luna said. “I believe you’re only as good as your players. This award goes with them as much as it goes to me.”
While Luna’s quick to pass the appreciation to his players, he does the same with his coaches. Assistant coaches John Bessa, Paul Codiga and Curtis Heen, as well as Ernie Luna and Eric Diaz, provided help to the ‘Balers.
“I surround myself with good assistant coaches as well,” he said. “One person cannot do the job.”
Currently, Luna is coaching some of his players in tournaments across the state, playing in some 30 games during the summer months.
In 1996 at Overfelt High School and in 2000 at Leigh High School, both of San Jose, Luna was named the CCS Coach of the Year by the San Jose Mercury News, making the NorCalPreps.com award his third such accolade.
So when asked what his secret was, Luna said that he tries to teach the game while keeping it enjoyable for his players.
“I’m a big stickler on fundamentals and playing the game the right way,” he said. “But I just try to read them and if they’re truly enjoying themselves out there. I’m concerned with them just having fun out there.”
The summer baseball that Luna coaches will wrap up later this week, and he won’t see his team until November, where he’ll once again be devising a way to improve upon the previous season.
Said Luna, “The passion these kids have for playing, as a coach, that’s great to see.”
