Pete Stathopoulos, a former San Marcos High baseball star and coach, will be returning to local diamonds as the new head varsity coach at Bishop Diego High School.
He will take over for Nick Katzenstein, who stepped down as coach last month after three seasons with the Cardinals.
“Although we had a strong group of applicants, we have decided that coach Pete Stathopoulos was the best fit for our baseball program, school and community,” Bishop athletic director Aaron Skinner said. “Coach Pete is a native of Santa Barbara, having played at and graduated from both San Marcos and Santa Barbara City College.
“He has an extensive coaching and umpiring resume, spanning over 20 years.”
Stathopoulos, a 1980 graduate of San Marcos, was also highly involved with the Goleta Valley South Little as both a coach and administrator. He began helping the San Marcos baseball program when his son Nick, the leading hitter and pitcher on the Royals’ 2010 team, played for the school.
Pete Stathopoulos remained at San Marcos as an assistant and then took over as head coach for two seasons, in 2012 and 2013. He stepped down when his company relocated in North Carolina and was replaced by current head coach Jacob Pepper. Stathopoulos returned to Santa Barbara after his retirement.
“I believe that Coach Pete is not only a great fit for our young men on the field, but off the field as well,” Skinner said. “Coach Pete has mentored a number of young men throughout the years, including a number of our alumni, and is big on community involvement and faith.”
email: mpatton@newspress.com
