CCS Coach of the Year
BOBBY HILL, LOS GATOS
With the Los Gatos Wildcats preparing for a more difficult schedule for the 2014 baseball season, coach Bobby Hill changed his team’s outlook
on baseball for the better. By emphasizing the importance of being mentally composed and overcoming failure, he led his team to a 12-2 record
in the competitive Santa Clara Valley Athletic League-De Anza Division and a trip to the Central Coast Section Open Division tournament.
“I don’t think a lot of people picked us to go 12-2 in league,” Hill said. “At the end of the day, it was a very successful season. My
boys battled through adversity and injuries. I’m sad it ended the way it ended [with a 4-2 loss to Scotts Valley in the first round], but
we’ll learn from this.”
Prior to the start of the season, Hill hoped to change the culture of Los Gatos baseball by using his personal experiences as a
professional ballplayer to demonstrate how baseball is more than a game of physical capability, but also one of endurance and hardship.
“This is my second year taking on the program,” Hill said. “In the first year, I just tried to change the environment.”
When Hill was a child, his father taught him to work hard while pursuing his dreams of becoming the best baseball player that he
could be. Because of the values his dad had instilled in him, he developed a strong work ethic.
“My dad taught me the game the way it should be played,” Hill said. “Not having anything given to me, but having to earn it.”
As Hill began to take the sport more seriously during his days at Leland High School and the University of Miami, his managers inspired
him to push through adversity and remain focused on achieving his goals.
After years of dedication to perfecting his craft, he signed with the Chicago Cubs in 2000 at the age of 24.
Although Hill enjoyed some success with the Cubs, he got sent to the Pirates. However, four years after making his MLB debut, his career
had come to an abrupt end. It was then when Hill recognized how easy it was for a game to be taken away and how unfair life could seem.
“Baseball is not a very easy game,” Hill said. “Even now, I might be a head coach, but I’m still learning and I still want to learn.
To have success you have to put your pride aside and own emotions aside.”
Much of his team’s success was the product of overcoming obstacles and remaining confident. Despite a loss of key players towards the
end of the season, the squad tried with all its might to push through tough opponents.
After entering CCS having lost five of their previous six games, the Wildcats gave Scotts Valley a run for its money. Although the season
ended in disappointment, Hill considers the season a success because of his team’s tremendous growth over the course of one year.
Outside of the baseball field, Hill feels equally fortunate. He is happily married to his school sweetheart Melissa and adores his two
sons Bobby and Kane. While his kids are developing an interest in baseball, Hill wants his children to enjoy life and partake in different activities.
“I was raised to be very close to my family,” Hill said. “I like being with my boys and my wife. I won’t push my kids [to excel in baseball].”
To young athletes, Hill serves as an example of hard work leading to success. He hopes to inspire others to put forth concrete effort
into following their passions.
“The message I would like to tell youth players is never stop chasing your dream,” Hill said. “If you want it, go get it. Don’t take
the game for granted because you never know when the game will be taken away from you. Go chase your dreams.”
Also considered: Bill Hutton, Archbishop Mitty; Michael Sparrer, Leland.
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