On the diamond

Mike Sciacca

Tom Faris is already into the swing of things at Laguna Beach High.

Faris, 33, was hired earlier this month as the new varsity

baseball coach at the school.

He’s working with returning players in the Breakers’ program

through Laguna’s American Legion baseball team.

Faris takes over the school’s baseball program from Mike Schubert

who has taken the head coaching job at JSerra High in Irvine.

“I am very excited and so very much looking forward to directing

the Laguna program,” Faris said. “This is a great opportunity for

me.”

The head coaching job is a first for Faris who comes to Laguna

after having spent the past three years as an assistant coach to Bob

Zamora at Capistrano Valley High.

While there, Faris served the past two years as junior varsity

head coach and previously for one year as the Cougars’ freshman /

sophomore head coach.

He says he gained invaluable knowledge from Zamora who has won

five Division I CIF-Southern Section baseball championships at Capo

Valley.

“The biggest thing I learned during my time with Coach Zamora is

having patience,” Faris said. “He taught me how to deal with parents

and kids and their different attitudes. He’s a very insightful man

and, obviously, quite a successful baseball coach. I’ve learned a lot

from him.”

Mario Morales who, as athletic director at Laguna, hired Faris.

Morales said that in an interesting twist, Faris turned down the

head coaching job at JSerra and the job then went to Schubert.

Morales, who resigned last week as athletic director to take on a

coaching and teaching position at Long Beach Wilson High, said Faris

came highly recommended for the Laguna baseball job.

Faris is the last coaching hire for Morales while he was athletic

director at Laguna.

“Bob Zamora is a legendary coach in high school baseball and he

was very high on Tom,” Morales said of the hiring process. “I was

very impressed with Tom in our interview.

“Tom brings great coaching experience to this job. I think he will

bring discipline and fairness, at the same time, to the program. I

also believe he will bring the stability that the school needs in

order to build and maintain a good, solid baseball program.”

That is exactly what Faris says he plans to do.

“I know there needs to be involvement with this program,” he said.

“I want the kids to look at playing baseball as something more than

recreational. I want to incorporate a pride in this program.

“I’d also like to incorporate getting our players involved with

helping out with Laguna Little League teams during the season and I

want to get incoming ninth graders more involved with the program.”

Faris, his wife, Annie who is expecting their second child in

December, and 21-month old daughter, Katie, reside in San Clemente.

He prepped at Quartz Hill High and later attended Azusa Pacific

University where he pitched for the Cougars. During his

student-teaching days, he lived for four years in Laguna Beach.

“I really like Laguna and I very familiar with the city,” he said.

” It’s a great place.”

Faris’ extensive baseball background includes his first coaching

position as an assistant at San Gabriel High. From there, he moved on

to become an assistant at Covina High before taking on an assistant

position at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

He has coached the Capo Cats 13-14 year-old club baseball team the

past three years along with Chris Price, the freshman / sophomore

baseball coach at Capistrano Valley High.

Price will join Faris at Laguna as an assistant.

Faris says he’s ready to establish consistency at Laguna.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day and it will take some time with this

program,” he said. “It will take a lot of work and effort but the

challenge is one I am looking forward to.

“I want these kids to be passionate about baseball. I’ve heard

that the most wins the program has ever had in a season is 13 and

that amazes me. I want to bring some success to this program, make it

competitive and have the kids believe they are winners. I told the

kids I want the Breakers to become known as the “Heart-Breakers.”

Note: Laguna Beach High baseball is looking for incoming

ninth-grade students to become involved with its American Legion

baseball team. For information call Faris at (949) 369-5406.