2008 Woodie Awards
P.E. Instructor Assumes Position as Baseball Coach
Jeff Stark
Issue date: 1/19/05 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
A new head coach will lead the spring 2005 baseball team this year.
Steve Gomez was named the school's new baseball coach early last summer, the decision took affect last July.
Gomez has been teaching physical education here at Citrus since 2001, and has assisted the baseball team serving as their pitching coach over the past couple of years.
Even though Gomez's experience coaching here at Citrus has been limited that does not mean that he is under qualified for the job.
Gomez has been playing and coaching the game of baseball his whole life. He was an All-American pitcher for the 1983 Cal Poly Pomona national championship team. He was then drafted and played six years in the minor leagues, making it as high as the Triple A level.
He played for 3 minor league organizations: Oakland A's, Minnesota Twins, and the New York Yankees, and he earned such player honors as being a Midwest League All Star in 1985 and a Southern league All Star in 1986.
Even though Gomez was a talented player he never made it to the majors.
"I had a lot of success; I just was not in the right place at the right time," Gomez said.
When Gomez quit playing he decided to try his luck coaching. He coached Arroyo High, and Charter Oak. his alma mater Cal Poly, and Azusa Pacific University before moving on to Citrus.
Gomez is looking to establish a program based on tradition, and he wants to get back to recruiting locally in the San Gabriel Valley to do so.
"This is the first time we have heavily recruited," Gomez said. "We want to establish a solid program by getting the players to buy into the program and its philosophy."
The team's philosophy is built around its personnel. Gomez believes in an aggressive style of baseball putting the pressure on the opposing team.
"He is a good coach, he dedicates a lot of time in the program," said 19 year old pitcher Derrick Cullen.
His personality has helped him gain the respect of his players and coaches.
"Gomez is a player-type coach who gets alot of respect because he respects his players," said 20-year-old catcher Scott Marcus.
The Citrus baseball teams over the past couple of years have had a good amount of success; in 2001 the team finished second in the Western State Conference, and in 2002 won the conference Championship.
Gomez hopes to continue the program's success.
"I feel we are on the right track," Gomez said.
Steve Gomez was named the school's new baseball coach early last summer, the decision took affect last July.
Gomez has been teaching physical education here at Citrus since 2001, and has assisted the baseball team serving as their pitching coach over the past couple of years.
Even though Gomez's experience coaching here at Citrus has been limited that does not mean that he is under qualified for the job.
Gomez has been playing and coaching the game of baseball his whole life. He was an All-American pitcher for the 1983 Cal Poly Pomona national championship team. He was then drafted and played six years in the minor leagues, making it as high as the Triple A level.
He played for 3 minor league organizations: Oakland A's, Minnesota Twins, and the New York Yankees, and he earned such player honors as being a Midwest League All Star in 1985 and a Southern league All Star in 1986.
Even though Gomez was a talented player he never made it to the majors.
"I had a lot of success; I just was not in the right place at the right time," Gomez said.
When Gomez quit playing he decided to try his luck coaching. He coached Arroyo High, and Charter Oak. his alma mater Cal Poly, and Azusa Pacific University before moving on to Citrus.
Gomez is looking to establish a program based on tradition, and he wants to get back to recruiting locally in the San Gabriel Valley to do so.
"This is the first time we have heavily recruited," Gomez said. "We want to establish a solid program by getting the players to buy into the program and its philosophy."
The team's philosophy is built around its personnel. Gomez believes in an aggressive style of baseball putting the pressure on the opposing team.
"He is a good coach, he dedicates a lot of time in the program," said 19 year old pitcher Derrick Cullen.
His personality has helped him gain the respect of his players and coaches.
"Gomez is a player-type coach who gets alot of respect because he respects his players," said 20-year-old catcher Scott Marcus.
The Citrus baseball teams over the past couple of years have had a good amount of success; in 2001 the team finished second in the Western State Conference, and in 2002 won the conference Championship.
Gomez hopes to continue the program's success.
"I feel we are on the right track," Gomez said.