CCS Coach of the Year
JOE GRON, LELAND
Joe Gron was coaching baseball at Gunderson High when a buddy at another school asked him to come over to the softball cages on a
rainy day and work with his softball girls.
A career was born. Or at least an obsession.
Gron, the Leland High coach and travel-ball mentor for the San Jose Sting, noticed the girls were more receptive to coaching and
less inclined to think they knew it all.
More than 10 years later, Gron has 200 victories at Leland, is a respected coach with the Sting and can't envision himself not
coaching the sport he's grown to love. For his efforts, he is the 2014 Prep2Prep Central Coast Section Coach of the Year.
"The girls just had a different attitude than the boys," Gron said. "Don't get me wrong, the boys are great, but sometimes
coaching 14-year-old all-stars who don't think they need to be taught anything can wear on you.
"With girls I noticed I could have one little session and they'd make adjustments and listen and get better. The sport was just
getting into the mainstream back then and it really (piqued) my interest."
Gron just completed his 11th season at Leland. The Chargers (22-5) finished second by a game to Pioneer in the BVAL-Mt. Hamilton and
fell to San Benito 4-3 in the section semifinals.
San Benito was also the same team that defeated Leland 10-0 in last year's CCS Division I title game.
But it's more a body of work and proper perspective that makes Gron stand out after making it at least to the section semis five
times with the Chargers. He also assisted with Pioneer before Leland and was on the field when the Mustangs fell to Burlingame in
the 2003 title game.
"He's a very smart coach and he knows the game well," said Bob Perales, who runs the Sting. "He's conservative (strategically) but he
thinks ahead. I didn't find many coaches in this area who knew more than me and then I ran across Joe. He's quiet, but the first year
I gave him one of my gold teams they finished third in the nation."
Perhaps having played baseball in high school and at Mission College, Gron realizes better than some the challenges his players face.
"He respects his players," Perales said. "He has his expectations, but if they fail he doesn't jump own their throats. That's a good
attribute and I can't say I have it all of the time. He has a good demeanor, but he's a competitive guy. He wants to win championships."
According to Gron, his formula is simple, requiring only that the girls enjoy themselves and try hard.
"I tell them three things," he said. "Have fun, give 100 percent on the field and in the classroom and respect the game, including your
teammates, fans, umpires and other teams. If you do that, everything else will take care of itself."
Gron's 18 Gold team is fairly loaded, including the likes of Maddie Kim, Noa Yakir, Chelsea Trotter, Frankie Perales (daughter of Bob),
Desiree Severance and Holly Geranen. Geranen, who will play at Colgate, has been the star of Gron's Leland team the past few years. Other
Chargers who will play at the next level are Lexie Belligan (University of Colorado-Colorado Springs), Ally Kido (Amherst) and Kelsey
Borello (University of San Diego).
The Leland coach is not married and does not have children, joking he has "14 daughters" that he spends ample time with. A pool tile
man by trade, Gron likes to play poker, but coaching softball is really what gets his blood flowing and his heart pumping.
"It's just one of those things I was meant to do," he said. "I just fell in love with (coaching softball) and I think I'd go crazy if
I had to sit at home. I think I'm away for the next five weekends at tournaments, but it's OK. I just give all I can to help the kids."
Also considered: Jim Liggett, Carlmont; Brian Yocke, Archbishop Mitty.
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