By Mia Laureys
There’s an hour left of practice, the overhead lights are shining bright on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field and coach Eric Valenzuela steps up onto the pitcher’s mound.
Players take their positions as the scrimmage begins.
“Second and third, nobody out,” Valenzuela calls as a batter steps up to the plate.
Valenzuela winds up and hurls the ball toward home plate, the batter hits it straight to third base. The ball slips past the third baseman’s glove. A very simple mistake, but it’s a mistake that could cost you the game.
He calls the player over to the pitcher’s mound to explain what he can improve in the next play. He sees these practices as a time for the players to learn and he knows yelling won’t encourage them to do that.
Valenzuela has been a coach since 2002 and has compiled a very impressive resume. He’s had nine MLB Draft Picks and six All-American awards, along with a 247-203 record over his nine years as a head coach at St. Mary’s and Long Beach State.
02/12/2023 – Long Beach, Calif: CSULB Dirtbags Freshman Infielder, Armando Briseño, warms up and stretches before his inter-squad scrimmage on Sunday at Blair Field. Photo credit: Naoki Gima
While there were players that made it to the major leagues, there were hundreds of players who went out into the workforce. Coaching his players for life outside of baseball is one of Valenzuela’s main priorities.
“Of course we’re competitive, we want to win, [but] there’s another piece of the puzzle, these guys leaving here and being successful in everything else,” said Valenzuela.
He adapts his coaching style to fit each team member. He may have to be tougher on some players for them to succeed.
“This isn’t Disneyland either,” said Valenzuela. “There are some relationships that I feel I may have to be the bad guy because that’s what this guy needs.”
The coach takes this mentality with him during games. No matter if they win or lose, he will move on from the mistakes and plan for the next day.
02/12/2023 – Long Beach, Calif: CSULB Dirtbags Head Coach, Eric Valenzuela, coaches his team during practice and the scrimmage on Sunday at Blair Field. Photo credit: Naoki Gima
“He believes you learn more from success,” said Luke Hansard, team manager for the Dirtbags. “He’s more focused on the future than the past.”
Valenzuela takes the time to build strong relationships within the team. He takes the time to know each player that steps onto the field.
“He loves to build relationships with our players,” said Ethan Clough, pitcher for the the Dirtbags. “It makes me feel more at home.”
Valenzuela has created events called “player pods” where he takes new players and talks to them individually. The only rule is that they are not allowed to talk about baseball.
Clough said the coach is “genuinely curious about all of his guys.”
“What makes me the happiest is all these things we’ve pushed these guys through and whether they were mad at me when they left,” said Valenzuela. “I think they realized down the line why we were doing the things that we were doing and why we were pushing these guys to their limits.They realized that we were just getting them prepared for life.”
