Over the past four years of varsity baseball, FC has had two coaches and most recently for the 2012 season, Noah Heinz will be the third coach chosen for the Eagles.

Heinz played baseball in high school, graduating from Clovis West in ’00, then moved on to California Polytechnic Institute of San Luis Obispo, playing half a season, but quickly changed schools to attend Masters College where he played three more years before graduating in ’05.

“I transfered because I liked the feel of the small Christian campus over the huge school like Cal Poly,” Heinz said. “One of my best friends from high school introduced me to the coach and after visiting the campus I was sold.”

Prior to taking the job at FC, Heinz coached for Central Cal Baseball Academy, Clovis North’s freshman team and Hoover’s JV squad.

“This is my first year as a varsity head coach, but I’ve been playing baseball for a long time and I’ve coached in several places,” Heinz said. “I know what it takes to be successful on the baseball field and what to expect from my players. Coming from Masters, I understand what it takes to run a Christ-centered program, and that’s what really pushed me to this job.”

Athletic Director Dan Stockton says Heinz was the perfect fit for the school out of all the coaches he met with.

“We wanted the best guy we could get that was available for coaching our team,” Stockton said. “I interviewed 11 other coaches and Noah came out number one. I’m really pleased with how he’s got everybody organized; the kids seem like they’re happy and that’s what we want: the best for FC kids.”

Senior Trevor York is a veteran player who has been through all of FC’s coaches in the past four years, and he says that Heinz knows how to coach and how to get his players to perform well.

“Going through coaches is very difficult because when you’re with them almost everyday it is normal to develop a close relationship,” York said. “I like Coach Heinz a lot so far because he blends harsh coaching with encouragement. He knows how to be stern yet, at the same time, he is forgiving when needed, which makes us play well as a team.”

So far this season, the Eagles have only two losses, 6-2-1, and recently took third place at the Fowler Easter Classic. This is the start Heinz hopes to lead his team to a CIF Central Section Division V Valley Championship.

“I’m not shy about the fact that I think this team can win a Valley championship,” Heinz said. “We’re not going to settle for a league championship or just a good record. We want to make sure we complete our goal of winning a valley championship; we’re going to do whatever it takes, push ourselves in practice and really set our eyes on that prize and hope to get there.”

Senior Brian Kinghorn, who returned to FC this year to play baseball, says the key part of Heinz is his approachability as a coach.

“He structures us and make us into the team he thinks we can be,” Kinghorn said. “I also really like how I can go to him and the rest of the coaching staff for stuff other than baseball and they won’t judge me.”

Heinz says that, although he can only participate in recreational baseball now, coaching allows him to give players the opportunity to win and play the game they love.

“I can’t play competitive baseball anymore, but these games still matter to these kids and I know I can help them achieve a goal they want to set,” Heinz said. “In our case, it’s a valley championship. We all want to win that same goal. The other part is hanging out with high schoolers. We’re just out here trying to make them better men and impart some of our wisdom on them as well.”

For more information on baseball, read the April 12 sport shorts, Baseball sport shorts: FC drops Riverdale 12-1. For more sports profiles, read the April 13 article, Junior’s commitment to athletics advances personal growth.