Baseball Coach

On the last days of the Costa Mesa High baseball season, Coach Jim Kiefer talked about next year and how so many players planned to return. Kiefer has decided he will not join them next season. Kiefer informed his players on Wednesday that he stepped down as coach to concentrate on being the boys' athletic director, and to pursue his master's degree and to spend time with his family. Kiefer led the Mustangs for six seasons, guiding them to the Orange Coast League title two years ago. The league crown was the program's first since 1978 and one of Kiefer's finest moments.

As a former all-conference catcher and 1997 team MVP at Vanguard University, first-year baseball coach Rob Pegg has already proved himself in a Lions uniform. And having spent seven seasons as a Vanguard assistant, his first season as head coach brings much more nostalgia than novelty. But when it comes to building and leading winning teams from the first seat in the dugout, Pegg has seven seasons of struggle he hopes to bury under a string of success at his alma mater. Pegg's tenure at Colorado Christian University, an NCAA Division II school in Lakewood, Colo., produced a 92-274 record.

Jason Lynch's firing as boys' water polo and swimming coach at Newport Harbor High has surprised both members of the Sailors aquatics community and coaches on campus. Newport Harbor senior Andrew Duhoux said he quit the swim team Thursday after meeting with Principal Michael Vossen. Duhoux, who was the team captain, said Lynch's indefinite removal – announced by Vossen April 4 – and his subsequent firing – announced Friday – "have really torn our team apart. " "It's about half and half on who wants him back and who doesn't," said Duhoux, a Daily Pilot Dream Team selection in boys' water polo last fall who plans to walk on at UC San Diego.

Barry Faulkner Kirk Bauermeister has resigned as baseball coach and boys athletic director at Costa Mesa High to become an assistant principal at the school. Bauermeister, a Costa Mesa alumnus who has coached the Mustangs baseball team in two separate tours covering 13 seasons, said final confirmation of his new position awaits approval by the school board. But he said the school has begun the process of hiring a new boys athletic director, as well as a baseball coach.

Scott Mallernee, a volunteer assistant at the University of Michigan the last two seasons, has been named baseball coach at Vanguard University, the school announced Monday. Mallernee, 27, replaces Kevin Kasper, who resigned after nine seasons. Mallernee was a volunteer assistant coach in 2002 at the University of Kansas and spent the 2001 season as an assistant at Eastern Kentucky. He earned a master's degree in education at Mississippi State University, where he served as a baseball intern in 2000.

Irvine police have arrested a high school baseball coach suspected of posing as a female on Facebook and convincing underage boys to send him sexual pictures of themselves. Zachary Reeder, 30, of Orange set up a fake profile using a photo of a blonde female, police said, and used the social networking site to form relationships with his victims. Reeder was arrested Saturday on suspicion of lewd conduct with a child, possession and distribution of child pornography, and child annoyance.

COSTA MESA - Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli collected his 500th win in dramatic fashion Friday at OCC. The Pirates scored with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning on a game-winning run-scoring single by Manny Argomaniz, which brought in Zach Nehrir. Altobelli became the 24th coach in California Community College baseball history to win 500-or-more games. Nehrir went three for four. Argomaniz was two for five and Cody Bruder went two for four for OCC (11-2)

Rob Wigod turned 52 Friday, the same day the CIF Southern Section named him as its new commissioner. Wigod will take over as commissioner of the largest section in the state that runs high school athletics on Aug. 2 for Jim Staunton, who is retiring after 11 years on the job. Wigod will be the ninth commissioner in the section's history. For almost 40 years, Wigod has been involved with the section as a player, coach and administrator. He is currently an assistant commissioner.

An Irvine baseball coach used Facebook to convince minors to send him pornographic images, prosecutors alleged Monday. Zachary Reeder, 30, of Orange, was charged with 110 felonies, including 34 counts each of distributing pornography to a minor, contacting a child with the intent to commit a lewd act and using a minor for sex acts. Other charges include six felony counts of committing a lewd act upon a child and one felony count of bringing obscene material into California. Some of the 35 known victims were 14 or 15, according to court documents.

Rick Devereux The legal proceedings involving Corona del Mar High baseball coach John Emme have been watched closely by others in the coaching community. A jury awarded Emme $500,000 in compensatory damages and an additional $200,000 in punitive damages in his countersuit against Newport Beach physician Marc Martinez. Martinez filed two lawsuits against Emme alleging the coach hurt his son's chances of playing college baseball. Emme filed a countersuit for $1 million, claiming malicious prosecution and damage to his reputation and career.