After over 50 years of coaching and managing youth baseball teams, I am stepping down from running one of Southern California’s longest-operating club baseball teams.
I started Blue Wave Baseball in 1996 with co-founder Louis Baltierra in Irvine, CA. We took over an 18U Connie Mack team that needed new ownership and coaching. Louis was our coach, and I managed and bankrolled the team.
In those days, high school players could not play for their coaches in the off-season, and only about 10 or 12 AABC Connie Mack teams were available in the area. Having 50 to 100 players try out for your team was common.
However, the team we took over was always at the bottom of the standings, and we mostly had players who did not make the other teams. Nearly all the other teams were stacked with graduating seniors heading for a D1 or, in the least, playing with one of the local CCs.
It was not until we recruited a college-level coach, Jason Smith from Irvine Valley College, that the team started to win as much as they lost and later won more than they lost. Later, Matt Sorensen and Rich Pohle (now head coach at Brea HS) continued taking our summer teams to new levels and eventually won two Under Armour Southwest Championships.
In addition to the high school summer teams, Blue Wave also fielded youth teams from 10U to 14U, several of which were highly ranked over the years.
Again, great coaching over the years made the difference for the youth teams, which were lucky to have coaches like Bret Kay, who is now head coach at JSerra, Darric Merrell (head coach at Temecula Valley HS), Mike Fuchs, and several teams Louis managed in his time.
Perhaps one of our most prolific coaches, Aron Garcia, is among the best youth coaches I have ever worked with. Aron, a longtime Northwood HS coach, was with Blue Wave the longest but fielded both the older and younger teams and was always able to find a way to build a team that could win, no matter what talent he had to work with.
His 12U team won Cooperstown in 2018, and his 18U team won the Firecracker Classic last summer (2024), just to name a few of the titles his teams earned. No one has won more Blue Wave games, championships, or trophies. He also coached more than 150 of our Blue Wave players who went on to college or the pros.
Aron coached Blue Wave for over 12 years, and I am grateful he stayed with us for so long. I would never have remained in the game for as long without him.
Besides Aron, I am grateful for all the coaches who came to work with Blue Wave over the years. The organization would never have been the same without them. I could never thank them enough for their time with Blue Wave.
I was just a tiny cog in the wheel, and it is more than time to pass the baton as I will be putting my full-time efforts into a small venture focused on a website for So Cal Youth Baseball resources.
Meanwhile, the Blue Wave legacy will continue under Ray Lopez, who will serve as director for Blue Wave high school level teams, starting with the 16U and 17U teams this summer 2025.
Coach Lopez has run the Tustin Knights program since 2009 and has worked with the Foothill High School baseball program for years. All three of his sons have played for Blue Wave.
Coach Lopez’s mission is to focus on competition and player development and give his players the tools to compete at a high level.
So, while I will be gone, nothing will change.
Steve Kruse, Blue Wave Co-Founder
NOTE: Going forward you can contact Ray Lopez at (714) 981-4966 or
