Turning Out Sparklers on the Diamond

Crespi coach Scott Muckey has spent 25 years nurturing one of the Southland’s top high school baseball programs. He is legendary for his attention to detail, ability to train pitchers and his tight-knit teams.

Aside from helping produce Major League talent like San Francisco Giants pitcher Jeff Suppan, shortstop Trevor Plouffe of the Minnesota Twins and switch-hitter Michael Gilmartin of the Oakland A’s, Muckey also has won 11 league championships and two CIF championships ('04, ’09).

With no children of his own, he finds satisfaction in being around the teenage athletes.

“The team is my family,” he said. “I love to do it, I’m still having fun and it’s a great way to make a living.”

With Muckey’s coaching, the Celts have reaped the harvest of talent. Crespi graduate Ollie Linton went on to UC Irvine and was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks; Brian Horwitz has spent time with the Giants; and Sean Gilmartin was an All-American at Florida State as a freshman.

“It gives me great satisfaction to have guys at the next level,” Muckey said. “I don’t get them there, they put themselves there. I just help out the best I can.”

Muckey started off as a college coach, but in 1986, he lost his position as head coach at Los Angeles Valley College because of budget cuts. When the Crespi position opened up a year later, he applied and got the job.

Suppan, who graduated from Crespi in 1993, has been in the major leagues for 17 years. The Giants pitcher said he still applies some of the lessons Muckey instilled in him many years ago.

“I’ve kept a lot of things he taught me, like discipline, fundamentals and the fortitude I now have,” Suppan said.

Plouffe, a 2004 graduate now with the Minnesota Twins, also says that Muckey is one of a kind at the high school level.

“He’s his own person and I’ve never met anyone like him,” Plouffe said. “He’s old-school. He has a briefcase and his hat. He’s all about baseball.”

That love for baseball and straightforward approach to the game has resonated with Plouffe and Suppan throughout their successful careers.

“Before each game he told us to have fun, play catch and things will take care of themselves,” Plouffe said.

Many people say that coaching baseball has changed over the years. Teenagers are expected to be able to play when they get to high school and a lot of emphasis is put on winning versus helping kids get to the next level. Muckey doesn’t see it that way, though.

“Honestly, I don’t think it’s really changed,” Muckey said. “Kids have always had other things to occupy themselves and that’s the same thing today as it was years ago.”

Muckey teaches his players respect, discipline and commitment with the goal of turning  average players into standouts. Both Suppan and Plouffe have had the benefit of Muckey’s expertise and understand that the Celts who now play for him are also benefiting.

“The big leagues is a lot of fun and is great, but high school was the most fun,” Plouffe said. “It’s the companionship and bond that you have during high school that can’t be duplicated.”

That family-like bond keeps former players coming back to visit their high school coach.

“Muck has an over-the-line tournament the day after Thanksgiving every year, and guys keep coming back,” Plouffe said. “It’s special because everyone rallies around him and there’s a bond that we all share because we all played under him.”

Muckey is still making an impact on kids, winning games and getting players to that next level of baseball success.

“He could have coached at higher levels, but at the high school level he’s doing it all,” Suppan said. “He’s mentoring kids and changing their lives. To have that experience at that level is priceless."