Former baseball coach Dennis Koolhaas talked about being let go from the baseball program at SDA last spring and the program’s improvements in his four years here. Koolhaas explained his involvement with the Academy and how attached he was to the players and program in an interview via email.
Q: Are you going to continue coaching somewhere else?
A: I have had offers from other high schools. I have not accepted them since that is not where my heart is. I had a great connection with SDA, it felt like home and it was my community. That is what all the coaches felt. It’s hard to replicate that elsewhere. So for now, I may work with former JV Coach Steve Moore and operate a high school preparation team, where we actually prepare players for the nuances of high school baseball. Hopefully one day I will have an opportunity to come back to SDA.
Q: Are you going to miss the program and players here at SDA?
A: Tremendously! It is a great up and coming program with amazing kids. Truly amazing kids! Coach McDowell is a great instructional coach and the players will continue to learn a lot.
Q: What specifically?
A: I will miss players more than anything. Aside from the competition and striving for a goal as a team, the everyday relationship was very cool, and as your teachers well know, educating students in a subject you love has a great personal reward. Our subject was “Old School Baseball”. To see them grow from their sometimes awkward freshman years to becoming talented, young men and being part of their education for baseball and life made coming to the field everyday something to look forward to.
I knew we had something special when the alums would return from college and come to the field to still be part of it. Their parents would laugh that the moment they got home on college break they went straight to the field. We helped many of our players who wanted to play in college identify a program that with their skill level they could continue to play and get a great education. We wrote over 100 letters a year to various colleges. To see their high school career transition to the next level was awesome. A further great reward was while they were at college, they would contact me to make certain I checked a certain website or newspaper article to see a report of some accomplishment they had that week.
Q: How many years had you been a part of the baseball program at the Academy?
A: I coached four years at SDA which is what we estimated it would take to build a program here. Previously SDA never had a winning season. Some great kids help us turn that around. During the four year timeframe, we set a school single season record of 19-7 and had four straight winning seasons for an overall record of 70-36. During these four years we won two league championships and one Co-Championship and qualified for CIF post season play three times.
The program back then had little respect as a competitor and now is viewed as an up and coming baseball power. When we arrived, the field had been neglected. Grass was sparse, in fact the entire area behind home plate was dirt. Every other school in the District at the time had year around programs, a Clubhouse and very nice facilities. SDA’s program became year around, and with the help of some amazing parents, coaches, supporters and facility support, we laid new sod in the infield, made a clubhouse with new sports lockers, created a new dugout, upgraded the bullpens and visitors dugout, replaced fencing, placed new screening on the entire field, refurbished the infield, and purchased new baseball equipment and lawnmowers. The most recent addition is the snack shack and scorer’s booth made possible through volunteers, donations and dedicated supporters. Coaches from other schools would come to the school with their teams and in amazement state they played against San Dieguito on this field years ago, but the field looked nothing like this! This is a great credit to the players who come to SDA.
SDA can be very proud of its baseball field and its program. It is one of the best in San Diego.