By Beth Renkoski
July 2, 2008
Vanguard Hires Grajeda to Lead Baseball Program
Costa Mesa, Calif. – After a month-long search through many quality applicants, Vanguard University announced today the hiring of Ralph Grajeda as the new Head Coach for the Lion Baseball program. Grajeda, a native of Southern California, will begin the job immediately.
Grajeda brings an extensive baseball background to Vanguard University with a track record of success, strong organization skills and recruiting connections, knowledge of the game, and a wide variety of baseball experience from the high school, junior college, and four-year college levels. Grajeda leaves the Riverside Community College baseball program where he was an assistant coach for the past two seasons to take the position at Vanguard.
Vanguard Athletic Director Bob Wilson feels that Grajeda’s 13-years of coaching experience will translate into continued success as he begins his collegiate head coaching career with the Vanguard Baseball program. "Ralph Grajeda comes to Vanguard University well prepared for the challenge of improving the competitiveness of our baseball program," says Wilson. "As we reviewed the coaching applications for this position, we looked at what made the coaches in our other sports successful and we looked for those qualities to select our baseball coach. Ralph was the person that best represented the qualities we desired and fits the VU mission. He has a passion for the game, is a good communicator, is able to assess talent that meets Vanguard University standards, and is willing to work to improve the program and create a great experience for the baseball student-athletes."
Grajeda began as Assistant Coach and Associate Recruiting Coordinator in his first year at Riverside Community College, and became the Recruiting Coordinator in his second year under Head Coach Dennis Rogers. Also an Adjunct Physical Education Instructor, Grajeda was instrumental in assisting RCC win the California Community State Championship in 2007 and reach the State Championship game in 2008. During his two-year stint at Riverside, Grajeda was also a full-time instructor in Biology, and Anatomy and Physiology at Ramona High School.
Prior to RCC, VU’s new head coach was the Director of Athletics at JSerra Catholic High School for two years. Also an Anatomy and Physiology Instructor at JSerra, Grajeda took on the role of Head Baseball Coach in his second year, leading his team to a school record 19 wins and 10 losses, and a No. 5 ranking in Divsion V as a freelance school. He coached the 2006 Orange County Home Run leader, an OC All-Star, and sent two players into NCAA Division I universities to play baseball.
"I am humbled and honored for the opportunity to be Vanguard University’s head baseball coach," stated Grajeda. "It has been a thirteen-year journey and I thank God for this gift."
Grajeda’s coaching resume’ also includes productive stops at UC Davis, Saddleback Community College (SCC), and two Orange County High Schools. In 2003, Grajeda worked for Head Coach Rex Peters at UC Davis as an assistant coach and recruiter, helping the Aggies win the 2003 Western Regional Championship and place fifth at the NCAA DII National Championships.
Grajeda’s time at UC Davis was in the middle of two separate stints at Saddleback. Grajeda began his collegiate coaching at SCC in the summer of 1999 and spent three seasons helping Head Coach Jack Hodges recruit and develop the baseball team into a successful program. He returned to SCC in time to see the work pay off as the Gauchos blossomed into the 2004 California Community State Champions. During the four seasons Grajeda spent as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Saddleback, the Gauchos won 71% of their games.
A student of the game, Grajeda broke into coaching at Foothill High School where he began as the Head Junior Varsity Coach in 1996. He then served as the Varsity Assistant Coach for two seasons before taking the same position at Servite High School in 1999. In addition to high school and collegiate experience, Grajeda has also been an associate scout for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers.
As a college catcher, Grajeda played two seasons at Saddleback College following his prep career at Tustin High School. Moving on to California State University San Bernardino, Grajeda helped lead the Coyotes to the 1991 Western Regional Championship and a fourth place finish at the NCAA Division III National Championships. Following a redshirt year, Grajeda transferred to Point Loma Nazarene and competed in the Golden State Athletic Conference. PLNU won the NAIA District Championship and took third place at the 1993 NAIA Baseball World Series.
Grajeda finished his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education at CSU San Bernardino and earned his Master of Arts degree in Education at Azusa Pacific University with an emphasis in Physical Education. Grajeda completed his education by attaining his Single Subject Teaching Credential from National University in 2004.
The Vanguard Lions are hopeful that Grajeda’s track record will continue in a successful direction. Some of Grajeda’s first duties in his new position will be to finalize the recruiting class and secure a coaching staff to help him turn around a program that has an overall record of 85-145 in the past five years. Vanguard ended the 2008 season with a 17-31 record.