As the baseball team takes the field, head coach and PE teacher Paul Acosta stands by the dugout, guiding his players with the same passion that once fueled his own playing career.
Acosta chose to coach for his alma mater because of his prior success with the team and his love for the Walnut community. He also hopes to utilize his own experiences and feedback from his former mentors to spark a greater passion for baseball in his players.
“When I played [at Walnut], I had a lot of pride for my team’s success, and now I want to carry that on,” Acosta said. “I want to be the person in charge of ensuring our victories to make our other alumni proud.”
Acosta played tee ball at the age of 5 and continued playing baseball all four years at Walnut High School. After graduation, he pursued baseball as an outfielder at Long Beach State University before transferring to Cal Poly Pomona, where he earned his degree. Although his dream of making it to Major League Baseball did not come to fruition, Acosta was not ready to leave the game. He decided to pursue coaching, offering him an avenue into teaching and maintaining his competitive nature.
“When I first began coaching, I felt the notion of creating a culture was difficult because it required a big change,” Acosta said. “Not everybody on a team is eager to change, or change is not as easy for [everyone], so establishing a hard-working and competitive culture was one of my main goals.”
