Kiefer signs on at Mesa

Jim Kiefer, who coached the Newport Harbor High baseball team for six

seasons from 1996 through 2001, has been named baseball coach at

Costa Mesa High.

Kiefer, who spent the last two seasons as a varsity assistant for

the Sailors and two seasons prior to that as an assistant at Servite,

replaces Dave Austin.

Austin guided the Mustangs to a 9-15-1 record, 2-9-1 in the Golden

West League in his only season at the helm.

“I’m very excited about the position and prospects for the

program,” said Kiefer, 35, who is also teaching math at Costa Mesa.

Kiefer said he worked briefly with players over the summer and is

instituting a year-round training regimen for the program.

“The big thing my first year here is to get kids acclimated to the

expectations of a program that’s going to be pretty much year-round,”

Kiefer said.

Kiefer’s Newport Harbor teams struggled to compete in the rugged

Sea View League that included strong programs from Santa Margarita,

Irvine and El Toro during his time as a head coach with the Tars.

But, with one season left in the Golden West League before joining

the newly formed Orange Coast League for the 2007 season, Kiefer said

the Mustangs will have every opportunity to become a perennial

playoff team.

The Orange Coast League will also include Estancia, Laguna Beach,

Calvary Chapel and Godinez, a Santa Ana-based school set to open next

fall.

“I was to the point where for me to consider a head coaching

position, it had to have the right combination of factors in its

favor,” Kiefer said. “The administration here has been very

supportive, the kids have been great, the parents I’ve dealt with

have been very positive and, without question, [the Mustang’s league

affiliation] was appealing to me. I think we can be competitive in

the Golden West League next year. And, when we move into the new

league in ‘07, I hope to have a team that can compete for a league

championship.”

Last year’s Costa Mesa squad had 11 seniors, so Kiefer sad this

year’s team will be virtually a new club.

“It’s a little early to be able to tell where we will be next

year, but the kids have shown a good work ethic and attitude and I’ve

seen a lot of positives in the short time I’ve been working with

them.”