Gilroy High baseball will continue to be led by one of its own,
as Johnny Ramirez was named new manager of the varsity squad
Wednesday.
GILROY – Gilroy High baseball will continue to be led by one of its own, as Johnny Ramirez was named new manager of the varsity squad Wednesday.
Ramirez, 40, lives in Gilroy with his wife and stepdaughter and works as an account manager for soft drink company 7 Up. He graduated from GHS in 1986 and takes over a program that was formerly managed by Clint Wheeler, a fellow GHS alum, the past 10 seasons.
Ramirez spent the past four years as an assistant for the baseball team at Anchorpoint Christian in Gilroy and said he couldn’t be more excited to take over a program he once played for before moving on to play at Gavilan College and Sonoma State.
“You don’t even know,” Ramirez said. “I guess you could say I have a Chucky Cheese smile going right now.”
GHS Athletic Director Jack Daley said Ramirez, who was one of two finalists interviewed by himself and Marco Sanchez, the school’s new principal, set himself apart from other applicants through his knowledge of the game, focus on academics and familiarity with the school.
“He’s got a wealth of baseball experience,” Daley added.
Ramirez said he already has a new brand of baseball he intends to implement at Gilroy.
“My thing, and I know it sounds funny, I call it Panic Baseball,” he said. “We’re going to put pressure running the bases. We’re not going to hit the long ball every time. We’re going to go back to the fundamentals. Putting the ball on the dirt and taking that extra base when we have to. I think the kids will like that. I think that’s Gilroy High – that aggressiveness.”
Daley said Ramirez will have a prominent role in picking out his staff for next season, which will be coaching a slightly shallower talent pool at the freshman and junior varsity levels now that Gilroy will have a new public high school opening its doors in the fall: Christopher High. CHS will feature only freshmen and sophomores in its first school year.
“I’m going to lose some good players (to CHS), but I’m going to get some good players,” Ramirez said.
While a rivalry between GHS and CHS is sure to be created in the coming seasons, Ramirez said he has his sights set on dethroning old-time rival San Benito, which has won four straight Tri-County Athletic League championships.
“I expect us to win a league title. I really do. Coach (Mike) Luna is a good friend of mine. I still talk to him, and I told him, ‘If I get this job I’m coming after to you,'” Ramirez said. “I think it’s time that title came back to Gilroy.”
