San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
NEW MONTE VISTA BASEBALL COACH HAS A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: HARD WORK
Jessie Burns had applied for the head baseball position at Monte Vista High and decided he would take a quick look at the Monarchs.
“I scouted one game,” said Burns, 26, “but I could see it was a very young team — only four or five seniors. They have four core guys returning and some pretty good pitching.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to be the head coach in the conference I grew up playing in (El Capitan), to move on from being an assistant.”
Clearly, Monte Vista officials looked at his application and felt he would be an excellent fit. Burns was named the new Monarchs coach and will hit the ground running once the final paperwork is completed.
What’s not to like?
Burns played outfield and pitched at El Capitan under legendary East County coaches Steve Vickery and Jordan Abruzzo, and after his playing career ended following a shoulder injury at Southwestern College, he spent nine years as a high school assistant.
The first five years were at El Capitan and the last four at Grossmont.
“He’s such a hard worker,” said Vickery, who has helped out at Santana the last couple of years. “He knows the non-glorious part (keeping up the fields), and if he can give the Monte Vista players a vision, those who should go to Monte Vista will stay there.
“When they see his love for the sport, they’ll buy in.”
Talk about success. El Capitan made the section playoffs every year from 2014 to 2019. Grossmont appeared in two Division I and one Open Division championship. COVID wiped out 2020.
The only thing missing was a section championship, and all that does is fire Burns’ competitive nature.
“I’m an old-school baseball coach who is aware you have to mix the old with the new,” Burns said. “The key is to make certain everyone ... believes. Working with Jordan Abruzzo and with Steve Vickery, I know putting in the hard work always rewards you.
“We will outwork every team in the (Valley) league. I know that will pay dividends at the end of the season.
“When I was in Little League and Pony League, I couldn’t wait to play at El Cap. That’s what I want at Monte Vista — keeping Monte Vista players at Monte Vista. I want it so they can’t wait to play here.”
He believes in the basics, from the bottom up.
“I’m a big ‘field’ guy, have been wherever I’ve coached,” said Burns. “Working with the administration, I want Monte Vista to have the best field in the district. Considering how good baseball is in the East County, I’m excited about the future.
“I’ve scoped out some All-star games to make contact in the community. I know the juniors and seniors on the team are telling the younger kids who should go to Monte Vista to ‘stay with coach Jessie.’
“It’s a new version of baseball, a winning style. It might seem hard at first, but they’ll see how it works down the road like I did. I want these players to grow up to be firefighters, policemen — leaders in the community.
“We’ll get through the hard times together and while other teams fall off at the end of the season, we’ll be prepared. You forge through fire. It’s all about the team, not individuals. We all have the same uniform.”
While Burns is confident his experience playing for and coaching with the likes of Vickery and Abruzzo will get him started, he said he won’t hesitate to call on them for advice.
Asked about his goals, he gave it extra thought.
“I haven’t had a team meeting yet, but when the paperwork is done, we’ll meet with the players and parents,” he said. “Every coach starts the season with the goal of winning the league and making a good run in the playoffs.
“Monte Vista (which was in Division III this spring) has had a winning record five of the last six years, and I really like the possibilities here.”
Vickery has no doubts.
“I’m excited to see how he does,” Vickery said. “He always did the little things — was first to practice and was never afraid to put in the time. We met a week ago and went over a laundry list of things to do. He’s ready.”