Friday, Jul. 04, 2008

Two outs for district baseball

By BRIAN HERNALSTEEN

News-Mirror Writer

In the heat of the summer, at the peak of the professional season, two Mansfield district baseball coaches have left their posts.

Robert Owens is out as head coach of Timberview baseball. So is Art Senato of Summit.

District assistant athletic director Kirk Thor says that the schools and the district will work together to get coaches for the teams.

"Our campus coordinators are very much a part of the process. The ultimate decision lies with (athletic director) Debbie Weems," Thor said. "It’s a lot like a joint venture. The athletic coordinators on those campuses put together a list of names and we all sit down and work out the process."

Owens has stepped down to focus his attention on being the defensive coordinator for the football team, a position he has held since Timberview High School opened in 2004. The baseball team had a down year after high expectations to start. The team finished with a 3-13 district record.

Senato has left Summit, taking the head baseball coaching job at Flower Mound Marcus.

Owens has been the defensive coordinator for the football team as well as the head baseball coach since the school opened. Leaving the post will give Owens the chance to focus on football exclusively, but he has not ruled out helping the baseball team.

"I’ll still be involved in baseball, but I’m not sure in what capacity," Owens said. "I’ve always had a passion for baseball, but to become an athletic coordinator or director, you have to go through football."

Owens went on to explain that in the future, a goal would be to become a head coach in football or an athletic coordinator.

"I have been with Coach (Terry) Cron for seven years. I have had the opportunity to run practices and I know what he expects of me," Owens said. "Making this move frees me up a little bit and gives me the chance to focus on football."

Cron has been the head football coach and athletic coordinator of Timberview since the school opened in August 2004.

"Coach Owens is a great coach. He and I have been together for a long time, and I think that the time had come for him to take a break and to cut back on some of his workload," Cron said. "He has been helping me go through resumes and we are in the process right now of finding a new baseball coach. We have a lot of good candidates, but everything needs to line up with the teaching fields before we can bring someone to Timberview."

With the move, Owens would be in place to become a head football coach or athletic coordinator at some point, whether it be in Mansfield or another district.

"I’m still here. It’s just easier for me, responsibility wise," Owens said.

Senato leaves Summit baseball after leading the team to its best season in school history. The Jags went 23-9 overall and 12-4 in district play, winning a share of the district title this past season. They also advanced to the playoffs for the first time in school history.

As a result of his success on the bench, he was awarded Co-Coach of the Year honors in District 4-5A.

Senato takes over a good Flower Mound Marcus squad, a team that finished near the top of 6-5A.

The reasons for Senato’s departure vary greatly from Owens.

"The biggest reason I took this job is because my oldest daughter is about to be a freshman, and I would like to be able to attend her volleyball games," Senato said. "If I stayed at Summit, I would have to coach football, and that would keep me from going to a lot of my daughter’s games."

The decision for Senato to leave came at his interview at Marcus.

"Once I went in for the interview, I knew I would take the job if they offered it to me," Senato said. "It was something I needed to do for my family."

And while Owens one day would like to become an administrator, Senato doesn’t feel like that type of job is in the cards for him.

"I have no desire to be an administrator at all. I don’t have to coach football at Marcus, and that is what was best for my family," he said. Senato coached ninth grade football for the Jaguars.

The decision for Senato’s departure came as a disappointment for Summit, but the search for a new coach has started.

"Obviously, we are upset to lose Coach Senato because he did such a great job at Summit. It’s a bit selfish on our part, but at the same time, we know he will do a good job at his new school," Summit athletic coordinator Kyle Geller said. "We have started the search process and we are considering all applicants."

Fellow Mansfield district baseball coaches were taken back by the news, but understood the reasoning for the moves.

"I hate to see two coaches leave the Mansfield schools, because both have done excellent jobs at their schools. They both built great programs at the schools and I’m going to miss the competition," Mansfield coach Gary Vaughn said. "My goal when I came here was to build a competitive program. I like where are right now, and I can’t see myself leaving. My thoughts are in Mansfield."

In his first year at Legacy, Coach John Bimmerle has had to build a program with the Broncos. In its first year, Legacy was at its best when competing with its Mansfield rivals.

"It’s a surprise to me, because they were both really good for baseball in Mansfield. I wish them all the best," Bimmerle said. "It changes the faces of a few things at the schools. It’s a great district to be in, and the administration has high expectations for us."