Both Bellevue head coach Jordan Nilsen and Sammamish skipper Tim Ahern have made the decision not to return for the 2012 high school baseball season.
Nilsen will focus on the year-round operations of his select outfit, Bellevue Baseball Club, which he helped found in 2003 and will also remain active within Bellevue West Little League.
“It’s difficult to walk away from a program with so much potential,” Nilsen said. “But I realized I could contribute more to the Bellevue baseball community through my efforts with Bellevue Baseball Club and Bell-West LL. The great thing about coaching select baseball in Bellevue is now I get to see many of these kids year round now.”
He resigned at the conclusion of the season, saying that he had been informed that his position was not in jeopardy.
Nilsen, who takes the mental approach to the game very seriously, hopes to conclude the composition of his baseball curriculum, which he said will be used to provide guidance to youth coaches who find themselves looking for innovative and practical ways to instruct youth ballplayers.
Bellevue, which finished the 2011 regular season in third place, saw its year end in the opening round of the 3A KingCo tournament to another team that will be on the hunt for a new coach before 2012 in the Sammamish Totems.
Ahern, who has been at the helm for Sammamish since 2009, will continue his coaching career at Bellevue College as an assistant for the NWAACC champions and head coach Mark Yoshino.
In addition to assisting his former coach, Ahern is pursuing a Master’s Degree in athletic administration from Central Washington University.
“The opportunity to coach in a premiere college program along with the pursuit of my masters are the reasons for my resignation,” Ahern said. “As a former player at BCC, I am looking forward to working with the quality coaches and student-athletes that Bellevue has and feel that I have alot to offer.” Yoshino holds a Master’s from Pacific Lutheran University in exercise science and athletic administration.
He announced his resignation from Sammamish to the team at their end of year banquet.
“Outside of my own family, the Sammamish Baseball community has granted me some of the best experiences of my life,” Ahern said. “From the administration, parents, assistant coaches, and most importantly the kids, I have nothing but positive things to say. It is difficult to go, but I look forward to watching the program progress.”
