SCU assistant hired as SF baseball coach

By Pete Borello, Town Crier Staff Writer

Courtesy of Kate Kiely Mike Oakland signs on as St. Francis High baseball coach in the office of athletic director Mike Pilawski, left. Oakland spent the past five years as an assistant coach at Santa Clara University.

When Mike Oakland explored leaving the college ranks to coach high school baseball, the Santa Clara University assistant figured out exactly where he wanted to go.

“After going through the interview process, there was only one high school position I was interested in - and it was St. Francis,” Oakland said. “No other school interested me.”

The interest was mutual. St. Francis High offered him the job of head coach in mid-June, and “I jumped at the opportunity,” Oakland said. He replaces Chris Volta, who resigned in May after two years at the helm.

“We’re thrilled to have someone of Mike Oakland’s stature, expertise and talent on board as a coach and educator at St. Francis,” athletic director Michael Pilawski said. “This hire is just one more step toward furthering our commitment to athletic and academic excellence.”

Oakland will become a fulltime staff member in the fall, teaching physical education and computer literacy.

This will be his first stint as a high school coach. Oakland has coached at the college level for 10 years, the last five at Santa Clara, where he worked under St. Francis High graduate Mark O’Brien.

Oakland was the Broncos’ recruiting coordinator the past two seasons, and his recruits include St. Francis products Matt Long, Brady Fuerst and Jared Lansford. Long was named to the 2006 Freshman All-America Team and he and Fuerst both made the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team. Lansford was drafted by the Oakland A’s and opted to go pro.

Having also scouted several other players in the West Catholic Athletic League - which he called “the best league in California” - could serve Oakland and the Lancers well next season.

“It will be (an advantage) at the beginning,” he said. “But eventually, I’ll lose touch with that.”

The job of recruiting coordinator requires a lot of travel, a primary reason Oakland decided to seek out a high school position.

“I’ll be home more now. I can be around my family more and watch the kids grow up,” he said. “It’s a lifestyle change.”

Oakland will also have to adjust to coaching high school ball, where the games are shorter and practice time is more restrictive.

“Since it’s my first go at it, it may take a couple of years to figure it out,” he said. “I don’t expect to walk in and out-coach everybody; that’s not the case at all. I’ve got to work hard at it.”

Oakland has already met several returning members of St. Francis’ varsity team and introduced himself to some prospective players by instructing at a summer camp held on campus last week.

“The biggest thing is to get to know my own players and what they can and cannot do,” he said. “I also want to get to know the players at the lower levels, like Little League, and get a reputation that will want them to play for me.”

Oakland’s playing days include a stellar four-year career at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. He was named MVP of the California Collegiate Athletic Association and West Region in 1991, his junior year. As a senior, Oakland batted .341 with 12 home runs and drove in 60 runs, which remains the fifth-best season total in Cal Poly history.

Drafted in the 22nd round of the 1992 Major League Baseball amateur draft, Oakland spent four years in the Colorado Rockies organization and played in the first game at Coors Field. He then returned to Cal Poly to coach, working his way up to lead assistant in his five years there.

“Even when I was playing in college, it was something I was interested in,” Oakland said of coaching. “I just really like the game of baseball - I enjoy the different aspects of the game. It’s natural for me.”

At Santa Clara, Oakland was known for his work with hitters. In three of his first four seasons, the Broncos batted at least .290 as a team. He was also credited with helping two players earn All-America honors following a season in which they struggled at the plate.

Now, Oakland gets a chance to work his magic at St. Francis.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s a chance to do different things and bring in some things from Santa Clara.”

St. Francis went 18-12-2 this year and lost to Serra in the Central Coast Section quarterfinals.