East Hills Yorba Linda Little League coach leads two teams to state tournament
YORBA LINDA, Calif. — This past summer was the biggest highlight of Al Estrada’s career as a little league coach. Not only has he lived and breathed baseball all of his life, but throughout his 12 years of coaching, he says that this was the most epic season of all. With hard work and determination, both of his teams in different age divisions made it to the State Tournament and became champions.
Coach Estrada has been a Yorba Linda resident for 17 years and currently coaches for East Hills Yorba Linda Little League. He is most well-known on the baseball field, but has also coached recreational basketball and flag football. Parents and kids alike describe him as an amazing coach who is caring, well-respected and a great role model. Going into last season, he coached the 10 and under All-Star team and the Seniors 16 and under All-Star team. He also had the privilege of coaching his sons: Nolan (10) and Nathan (16), which made the experience extra special for him and his family.
In the weeks preparing for their first tournament, the younger team practiced four to five times per week. However, practicing with the seniors was non-existent because the boys play high school baseball and for travel ball organizations, so there wasn’t any time. But Coach Estrada knew these kids were talented and that they would have some success and ultimately have fun. He also had plenty of help from his Assistant Coaches: Greg Farrell, Roger Block, Rick Magni and Rob Christianson.
For any little leaguer, the 10 and under division is the first time they have the experience playing on an All-Star team and the pressure is also far greater than during the regular season. Coach Estrada points out that “they weren’t the biggest, the fastest, or even the hardest hitting or throwing. For what they lacked in size, they had an enormous amount of grit and what Coach Roger says, moxie.” Nobody imagined they would go as far as they did, but they exceeded expectations. They prevailed through the District 56 Tournament being undefeated, and eventually won the Section 5 Tournament, after losing their first game to later winning four games in a row. This was a hard feat in itself. They finally advanced to the State Tournament finishing third in the state out of more than 250 little leagues in Southern California.
As for the Seniors team, they were all solid athletes and stronger than any of the other teams they played. They won both the District and Sectional Tournaments and ultimately finished by winning the Southern CA State Championship for the first time in East Hills Yorba Linda Little League’s history.
For Al Estrada the best thing about being a coach is to be able to share his love for baseball with hundreds of kids and to have a chance to impact their lives in a positive way. He encourages his players to always hold their heads high, knowing they gave it their all, and whether they win or lose, they have to do it the right way and have good sportsmanship. Most of all he says, “I want to leave the legacy that I was a coach who always loved my teams and players and that I would always be there to help my players out, whether it be in sports or in life.”
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
