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Castello to replace Steen as DLS baseball coach

By Ben Enos
Thursday, June 17th, 2010 at 4:21 pm in Baseball.

Matt Castello has been hired as the new head baseball coach at De La Salle High, replacing the retiring Rick Steen.

“Rick Steen is a super guy and definitely has this program going in the right direction. It is a privilege to succeed him as head coach,” said Castello in a release issued by the school.

Castello has been a faculty member and coach at De La Salle for 18 years, and previously served as the head baseball coach from 2000-03. He is a graduate of De La Salle, a member of the school’s Hall of Fame and currently teaches religious studies and health and physical education.

Steen, who enjoyed a legendary career as head coach at San Ramon Valley from 1974-2007, came out of retirement in 2009 to coach the Spartans and compiled a 27-24 record over two seasons.

He led De La Salle to the North Coast Section Division I title game in 2009, but the Spartans missed the playoffs this season with a mark of 9-15. That came against elite competition though, as De La Salle’s schedule included four of the top 20 teams in the state according to the final CalHiSports.com rankings.

“I’m just going to sit back and take a look at the high school scene from a spectator’s view,” Steen said.

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  • Glad Dad

    Fantastic!!!

    I think Coach Steen has been in a “sitting back … looking from a spectator’s view” – for the last two years … he certainly wasn’t coaching, instructing, growing, or mentoring those kids.

    His negative style of communication, uninspired coaching, lack of leadership, preparation and quality practice resulted in a team that lost heart and passion – it was the worst for the seniors – having to endure it for two long years.

    But with this announcement, the dark days are over.

    Good luck to the new coach / staff. DLS Baseball future again can be bright.

    ps. Hopefully the school administration / athletic director have learned something about hiring quality people, actual teachers, and people that like the students. The kids certainly deserve better than what they gave them last go-round. Such a poor choice would not have happened for the football program, let’s just say that.

  • ebal fan 2

    The fact the kids couldn’t hit or pitch didn’t help this year.

  • Prep Fan

    Steen seemed to do quite well at SRV over th elast 30 years. He has one down year with little talent on the squad and suddenly he forgot everything he knew about coaching. He must have been trying to help out SRV by refusing to “coach, instruct, grow or mentor” those poor kids. I’m sure if he tried, he could have put another 10 mph on a couple of those pitchers’ arms and the team would have suddenly been a contender. It certainly couldn’t have anything to do with little Glad Jr. and his teammates not being as talented as many of the other players in the league.

  • Glad Dad

    It must be easy to comment from the outside … if you only really knew.

    I go back to my original comments, “leadership, and preparation”. When you take BP from a coach that throws 45mph, and doesn’t throw strikes, who would expect the kids to hit EBAL pitching? When your only returning pitcher threw less than 10 innings in his Jr year, you don’t expect much from him I guess. And if he wasn’t that good, what does that say about talent evaluation abilities. Practice, and preparation this year was virtually nothing. I don’t see how that is not coaching.

    He came to DLS with little energy, and even less passion. I suspect that when he left SRV, he wasn’t what he was 10 years earlier, so please don’t tell me he was at the top of his game this decade, let alone even these past two years.

    The 2010 team that won NCS for highest GPA was just too dense to understand the sage wisdom he passed along.

    Better coaches, with less talented players could have done more.

  • Prep Fan

    I guess it is convenient to have one scapegoat to place all blame on for a poor season. If I only really knew? Heck, if I’d have known he was throwing 45 mph BP, I’d have helped push for his ouster sooner. Any other coach and that team goes undefeated. With a new coach, DLS should be the preseason #1 pick to win NCS for next year.

  • so sad, glad

    Leave it to Glad Dad to have all the insight. Place all blame on Steen, and sleep well at night.
    It is not possible that this was another example of spoiled parents that filter their dreams of reliving the glory days to their kids, and teaching them that if you point the finger at someone else then it is never your fault.
    Maybe DLS can teach their community this upcoming year about each individual taking ownership and responsibility for what they do. It takes more than a coach to win, and it takes an entire program to fall.

  • C-Town Express

    Good luck to Coach Cas and the boys this year!!

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