King Tett Returns to Coach Bonita JV Baseball

Clipboard in hand, Troy Tettleton is ready for the season to start.

During his playing his days at Bonita (2007-2008) where he was a varsity catcher and infielder, JV Coach Troy Tettleton always stood out for his hustling and scrappy style of play. He was a no-nonsense guy in stretch pants, fulfilling whatever role he was asked to play. So when varsity coach John Knott learned he would be available to coach in the spring, he offered “Tett” the job.

The hard worker he is, Tettleton took 20 units last semester at Mt. SAC, so he could devote his full-time coaching talents to his Bonita players this spring. Last spring, Tettleton was a member of the Mounties, but elected to coach at Bonita this spring. In the fall he expects to transfer to either UCLA or Claremont McKenna to pursue a degree in business economics. If he chooses to be a Stag instead of a Bruin, he would join ex-Bonita outfielder Mitchell Pike (2008), who now plays for Claremont.

One aspect of the game Tettleton will be able to share with his players is the commitment needed to excel.

“Playing for Mt. Sac was a lot of fun,” Tettleton said, where Matt Venegas, another Bonita baseball graduate, is a coach. “It was also a lot of work. It’s like the season here, but it’s year-round. You hit the weights in the morning, then you go to class, then you go back to baseball.”

In the off season, Tettleton figured he devoted about 30 hours a week to the game. During the season, the time commitment ratcheted up to about 40 hours a week, equivalent to holding a full-time job, in other words.

“It was pretty tough,” Tettleton said. “When you get home, you really don’t want to do homework. You’re dead after practice. You just have to force yourself to do it.”

It’s a given what kind of force the new coach will be for Bonita.

“At Mt. SAC, I learned a lot and saw how well the practices were organized,” he said, standing on the mound while directing a situational batting practice drill. “It gave me ideas on what I can do with these guys. I’ll try to apply what worked for me when I was coached, and what I can use to help them.”

Just two years from playing for Bonita, Tettleton no doubt will be a player’s coach and at times be mistaken for one of his youthful players. What won’t be misconstrued is what Tettleton will bring to his team.

“I’ve been telling them that obviously I don’t know everything about baseball, but I do most likely more than them and that I’m here to help,” said Tettleton. “I’m here for them, so when I do get on them for doing something wrong, they’ll know it’s because I’m trying to help them out.”

Another Bonita baseball alum, Cory Hare, had been helping out Tettleton until last week before enlisting in the Marine reserves. Hare’s role will now be filled by Darren Baumunk, the varsity girls’ basketball coach who just wrapped up one of the most successful seasons in Bonita basketball lore.

For now, Tettleton’s carrying 14 players on his roster. Asked how the team looks before the start of pre-league play, Tettleton said, “There have been surprises both good and bad. Overall though, I know each player wants to compete.”

Sounds like the tag that was used to describe Tettleon’s play: “A competitor from the first pitch to the last.”