A Blast From The Past Devils Bring On Coaches From Glory Years The Merced College Blue Devil baseball team was dealt a major blow late in the year when longtime coach David Cardoza and new hire Mike Stewart announced they would be leaving the Devils for other jobs in the spring. It was devastating to players and coaches alike and left coaches Chris Pedretti and Nate Devine trying to figure out how to replace the huge parts of the program. Naturally, the search began right here in the Blue Devil family. More often than not, the Blue Devils have opted to stay “in house” with coaching positions, often hiring ex-players in the program. They didn’t have to look far, as three ex Blue Devil players surfaced and agreed to come aboard. And as it turns out, the three new coaches were players on some of the more successful teams in the Chris Pedretti era. Jason Ingraham, Tynan Pedretti and Kevin Ross all have experience at winning in a Blue Devil uniform. Jason Ingraham, a Merced High School graduate and Merced College alumni played on the 1997 and 1998 Blue Devil teams. The 97 team made one of the more impressive runs in Chris Pedretti’s tenure, coming within outs of reaching the Final Four, making it to the championship game of the Super Regional. After playing at Stanislaus State for his final 2 years, Ingraham coached for the Warriors for 4 years under Coach Kenny Leonesio, working with the hitters and infielders. Since then, Jason has spent time in the travel ball and private lesson scene, coaching several of the area’s elite high school players. Ingraham will serve as the infield coach and hitting instructor for the team. Tynan Pedretti has seen his fair share of Blue Devil baseball over the years. Having watched them his whole life, Tynan was able to play for the Blue Devils and be a part of one of the more successful 2 years the program has seen in recent history. A member of the 2010 team that made it to the Super Regional and the 2011 CVC Conference champion team that also made it to the Super Regional, Ty has been a part of a lot of success with the Blue Devils. After Merced College, he played a year at the University of Hawaii and a year at Stanislaus State. For the last 2 years, Pedretti has assisted Mark De LaMotte at Turlock High School, helping with hitters, infielders and outfielders. Ty will serve as the outfield coach and will help out with infielders and hitters as well. Like Ingraham, Kevin Ross was a part of the 1997 Blue Devil team that made their magical run. An Atwater High graduate, Kevin spent 2 years in a Merced College uniform. After Merced College, Ross continued to play at LSU Shreveport and Stanislaus State. Unlike the other two coaches, Kevin went into law enforcement after college, joining the CHP. 11 years later, Ross has decided to move on from the CHP and start a new chapter in his life, one that includes coaching baseball at Merced College and working towards a Master’s Degree in Psychology. Ross will be working with the 1st basemen this year, while helping out with outfielders and hitters. The Blue Devils are excited to welcome our three new coaches and look forward to their contributions on the baseball field as coaches and mentors for our players. We look forward to a great season!
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 20:33:22 +0000