Mike Baumgartner becomes new San Benito boys’ basketball coach

Three years ago, Mike Baumgartner was on the verge of becoming the new San Benito High boys’ basketball coach.
“They initially were ready to give me the position, but I couldn’t get the paperwork done on my end,” Baumgartner said. “I was really upset because an opportunity was being missed, and I didn’t think I would get that chance again.”
On Tuesday, however, Baumgartner got a second chance, and this time everything was in place for him to officially become the Haybalers’ new boys’ basketball coach. San Benito High School District Superintendent John Perales gave the 49-year-old Baumgartner a call to let him know he had gotten the job.
“Luckily, the position opened up again, here I am and I’m ready to go,” the 1983 San Benito graduate said. “They say once a Baler, always a Baler, and that really speaks to me because I’m a proud Baler. Even though I moved to Gilroy in 1989 and have stayed there ever since, the dream was to always be able to come back.”
Baumgartner takes over for David Kaplansky, who had three highly successful years in his second stint with the program before taking over the Gavilan College men’s job last month.
Baumgartner, who is a teacher at Gilroy High, is leaving that position to become a special education teacher at San Benito for the upcoming 2014-15 school year. Baumgartner has several years of coaching experience; he was the Gavilan women’s coach for a year in the mid-1990s and coached the Gilroy boys from 1998-2003.
He’s also had several stints as an assistant coach, including the Gavilan men, the San Benito boys and the Gilroy boys’ team, which was his last time on the bench in the 2010-11 season.
“I couldn’t be more excited to get back into coaching,” said Baumgartner, who took eight years off from teaching to work for his family’s business. “I know teaching is my calling, and not only that, but the coaching aspect of being able to see kids excel in a different environment is a truly wonderful experience for me.”
Baumgartner was named the 2000-01 Tri-County League Coach of the Year after guiding the Mustangs to their first league championship in 18 years. Baumgartner said people can expect his team to play unbelievably hard on defense, something that San Benito has always been known for.
Over the years, the Balers have had their share of talent, but they’ve also been able to beat more athletic opponents through sheer will and hustle defensively.
Offensively, Baumgartner plans on pushing the pace with a controlled structure and tempo. Baumgartner knew he wanted to be a coach in his senior year at San Benito, when he was sidelined for all but three games that basketball season because of an ankle injury.
“I sat on the bench that whole season and watched and learned a lot (from longtime legendary Balers coach John Becerra),” Baumgartner said. “I told myself right there and then that I wanted to be a coach one day, and I wanted to coach my alma mater.”
That nearly happened three years ago, but Baumgartner didn’t have his clear teaching credential in place at the time, preventing him from getting the job.
“The stars weren’t aligned at the time and God said no,” Baumgartner said. “But I’m back here now, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Baumgartner actually spent his sophomore and junior year in Oregon, as the family relocated for his father’s job. However, Baumgartner was relieved and ecstatic when he was able to move back to Hollister for his senior year.
Baumgartner loves how sports can teach valuable life lessons, because it certainly shaped his upbringing.
“All my memories growing up centered around sports, from Pop Warner to Babe Ruth to high school sports,” he said. “When you’re a boy growing up in Hollister, you play sports. It’s your life, and the community really rallies around that. There’s a sense of pride, and I’m just happy to be a part of that. I felt like this is where I was always meant to be.”