Former Marist and Rutgers standout becomes new baseball coach
After completing his baseball playing career at Rutgers University two years ago, former Marist All-County performer John Gonzalez got a job as an account manager for a rental car company. He was content with the salary, but he felt like he was missing something in his life.
"I missed baseball," Gonzalez said. "I couldn’t believe how much I missed it. The money was nice, but I had to get back into baseball."
So Gonzalez walked away from his job in the business world to become a special education teacher at Lincoln High School, hoping to become a baseball coach. He spent a year as an assistant at Dickinson, and when former Lincoln head coach Rich Nesbit resigned to become the athletic director at Dickinson, Gonzalez was given his first head coaching responsibility at the tender age of 24.
"I figured I wanted to start as early as possible, because I plan on coaching for a very long time," said Gonzalez, who was a star player for current Ferris coach Mike Hogan during his playing days at Marist. "I just sort of stumbled into coaching last year and I’m happy to be getting a chance to be a head coach right away."
Gonzalez has no fear that he is inheriting a program that won only two games a year ago.
"I’ve had some strange reactions from people when I told them that I was coaching at Lincoln," Gonzalez said. "They sound disappointed when I tell them. But I’m enthusiastic. I wasn’t concerned that I was coaching at Lincoln. I’m enthusiastic and so are the kids. I think we’ll be able to hold our own and play with anybody. However, it will be much harder to beat those teams. I think we have to be perfect to beat teams."
Gonzalez said that playing for a coaching legend like Hogan prepared him to become a coach himself.
"He was my biggest influence in baseball," Gonzalez said of the Ferris coach who tutored major leaguers Willie Banks and John Valentin at St. Anthony in the 1980s. "He was an influence for me both on and off the field. Without his guidance and discipline, there’s no way I could have been able to go as far as I did. I find that I coach a lot like him. I do a lot of the same things."
Gonzalez feels like he’s prepared for the huge challenge of trying to turn a perennially floundering program into a winner.
"I think Rich Nesbit laid down the foundation, and I will just try to follow that up," Gonzalez said. "I think it’s a good situation for me to work in. I think that my baseball resume will help me and I think the kids know that I’m a good baseball guy. They know that I know the game pretty well. I know I will be able to teach them as much as the next guy, and that I’m not just some kid."
The Lions may have won only twice last year, but Gonzalez inherits two of the most talented performers in Hudson County in senior pitcher Jose Sotomayor and senior infielder/pitcher Josue Beteta.
"Sotomayor has really good mechanics and throws four different pitches well," Gonzalez said. "I think he’s going to be one of the top five pitchers in the county. Beteta has a great arm and a good bat and hits for power. They’re our two key guys."
The rest of the Lions are very young, but that excites Gonzalez.
"Once we get a couple of games under our belts, we should be fine," Gonzalez said. "The first few games will build confidence."
Gonzalez said that he is excited to be back where he belongs.
"I need to be on the field," Gonzalez said. "I need to smell spring, feel the wind, smell the game. I’m looking long-term here. This is where I should be."
Gonzalez is also looking forward to April 10. That’s the day that his Lions take on Ferris and his former mentor for the first time.
"I have that date circled on my calendar," Gonzalez said.