Varsity boys baseball will welcome a new head coach, Robert Giles, in the spring of 2017. His previous baseball coaching experience will create a hopeful turnout for the season. 

Giles played baseball all throughout high school and was the head coach at Kennedy High School for the past five seasons. Before Giles took over, Kennedy had not won a game in two years. “I pride myself on helping these young men reach their full potential,” Giles said. 

A handful of junior and senior baseball players already know Giles. “I’m kind of excited because I know what’s coming,” senior captain Jan-Carlos Sandoval said. Many players know his coaching style and think it will be a good improvement to the team.

Last year’s season didn’t go as planned for the team. They only won five games and lost in the first round of playoffs. “It was still fun to play,” senior Joel Webster said. This year’s team will be more focused on accomplishing more wins with the new coach.

“I know there is a lot of talent in this building and I believe we can win now,” Giles said.

He left Kennedy due to a teaching change, then applied and accepted the position of head coach because he coached many of the current players in a summer league this past year.

“Conditioning is essential to all team sports, especially baseball,” Giles said. Conditioning will be every Saturday and Sunday from 7 to 8:30pm for any boys interested in playing in the spring. Workouts will be used to get the team in great shape before the start of the season.

During the season, the main focus will be spent on pitching fundamentals, signals, situational hitting, and defense. “Defense and pitching leads to victories,” Giles said.

The new coaching tactics will help improve the team to have a more successful season. “We are going to be a lot more confident,” Sandoval added. The dedication the coach has for the team will lead to a stronger playing team.

Giles looks forward to coaching ‘Rines baseball, and watching individuals and the team grow.