Samo Welcomes New Baseball Coach Adam Klein

Earlier this month, Samo welcomed a new head baseball coach, Adam Klein, for the upcoming 2016-17 season.  Klein was hired towards the end of September by Tim Ballaret, the athletic director.“He’s got a lot of good experience, both coaching and as a player, so he relates a lot to the kids,” Ballaret said. “He understands what they’re going through.  He adds another dimension to the team and to the coaching.  He’s very organized, and he’s got a good practice plan.  He’s got a lot of good ideas to bring the program up.”Klein has been involved in baseball for most of his life, both playing and coaching throughout Santa Monica and California.“I started playing baseball at a very young age,” Klein said. “After playing at Crossroads [High School], I played in college, and then eventually was drafted by the Oakland Athletics and played seven years in the minor leagues.”As a kid, Klein also enjoyed watching baseball; one of his favorite players growing up was Kirby Puckett who played center field for the Minnesota Twins. “The reason why I liked [Puckett] is because he was a much smaller guy than most of the other outfielders and baseball players in the major leagues,” Klein said. “Growing up being a very small guy, I always rooted for the smaller guys because they were against all odds. Those were the guys that I kinda gravitated towards.”After playing in the minor leagues, Klein began coaching at the Los Angeles Pierce Junior College for five years. Prior to his current job at Samo, he coached at Crossroads High School and Brentwood High School for two years each. “I have some experience coaching high school, but most of my experience coaching wise has been towards the college side,” Klein said. Klein has set very ambitious goals not only for himself as a coach, but also for Samo’s varsity season. He hopes to improve each player’s skill and help them learn things they’ll need later in life. In addition, he wants to hone in on the skills of the team so that they can play at their best.“I’m trying to build good character, develop a sense of accountability and almost ensure that once these guys graduate from high school that they’re prepared for adulthood once they get out of baseball,” Klein said. “We have a lot of talent here, so it’s about making sure these guys are all on the same page.” Along with his long list of expectations and desires, he also plans to develop a program in order to restore the image of Samo’s baseball program. “He’s getting the program and running it well,” pitcher Holt Jones Jr. (’17) said. “He has a plan for everything so far.”After roughly two weeks of coaching, Klein has already made a positive impression with his players. “[He’s] one of my favorite coaches I’ve had,” catcher Brandon Iglesias (‘18) said. “He’s very organized and has the entire team on an efficient schedule that is helping to make people who want to work even better.”According to Klein, he is looking forward to the spring season and to helping the team reach their full potential. He believes that his players are getting the opportunity to become a team and give them the opportunity to play at the next level, if they want to. Overall, Klein is looking forward to the spring season and to helping the team reach their full potential.“I think he’s very organized and I think he’s gonna be good for this program in the long run,” third baseman Dax Speakman (’17)  said.