Blue Wave’s key asset over the years is the combined experience and strength of its management team, coaches, trainers, and staff.
Blue Wave coaches and trainers have come from some of the top colleges, MLB teams, and high school coaching staffs in Southern California over the years, including: Cal State University Fullerton, Long Beach State, Stanford, Sacramento State, Fresno State, Vanguard, OCC, IVC, Angels, Rockies, Red Sox, Mets, Mariners, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Phillies, and more.
Blue Wave has been fertile proving grounds for coaches in Southern California as well, producing many notable high school and club coaches as well.
Blue Wave coaching alum include Bret Kay (JSerra), David Bacani (Santa Margarita Catholic HS), Rich Pohle (Brea Olinda), Matt Sorensen (Golden Valley), Bishop Griggs (Saddleback HS), Bret LeVier (El Toro), Jason Smith (Fullerton JC), Ben Owens (Tustin HS), Benny Bonilla, Derric Merrell, Louis Baltierra, Mike Fuchs, Charlie Phillips, and more.
And former Blue Wave players are now also making their way into the coaching ranks, including Justin Viele (LA Dodgers), Matt Florer (USD), Jon Hurst (Diamond Bar HS), and Dew Hillman (Laguna Hills).
Our present staff includes:
Coach Ray Lopez directs the Blue Wave Baseball high school-level programs and teams.
Coach Lopez has run the Tustin Knights since 2009 and has worked with the Foothill High School baseball program for many years.
He will work with all Blue Wave 16U Underclass and 17U/18U Varsity teams, focusing on player development and providing the tools and competition for Blue Wave players to compete at a higher level.
Coach Nick Lopez was a top infielder in his high school and college career, including JSerra Catholic School (2018), University of Illinois Chicago (2019-2020), Santa Ana College (2020-21), University of Southern California (2021-2023) and University of Kentucky (2023-2024) where he played in the College World Series.
Coach Christian Lopez was a top pitcher at Century High School, where he graduated in 2016, as well as for Cypress College (2016-2019) and the University of Illinois Chicago (2019-2020).
Coach Chad Clark not only has D1 and MLB pitching experience, but he was a highly recruited player in high school, an MLB sports agent, and a top adviser for young players serious about playing at the next level.
Coach Clark was highly recruited as a junior at Glendora High School, where Baseball America ranked him the No. 3 junior in the country. He was also selected to play on the 18U USA team in the World Games in Columbia.
Though the Milwaukee Brewers drafted him in high school in the 1999 MLB draft, Coach Clark decided to pursue his education and played on a full scholarship at USC, where he pitched in two College World Series.
He was redrafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002 but signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the MLB 2003 draft after graduating from USC with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics that year.
After four years of professional ball, Coach Clark became an MLB agent in 2011. He opened his own agency in 2016 and represented three of the top 75 picks in the 2017 June draft.
He then represented 14 draft picks taken in the top three rounds in four consecutive drafts, several major leaguers over his career, and is well known for evaluating and developing pitchers.
Besides serving as Assistant Coach/Pitching Coach for Eastern New Mexico in 2023-24, Coach Clark is the Southern and West Coast Director for Elite Sports Advising.
Coach Darrell Sherman has 18+ years of professional baseball experience as an outfielder and top hitter.
Sherman graduated from Lynwood High School in California and attended Cerritos College, where his team posted a record of 84-11 in his two years there. He also set school records in runs scored, walks, times on base, and stolen bases.
Coach Sherman played at Long Beach State and helped lead the Dirtbags to the 1989 College World Series.
He was selected in the 1989 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres, where he played several years in their minor league system before making his MLB debut in 1993 against the Pirates.
In all, Coach Sherman played seven years in the minors, a year in the majors, and 11 seasons with foreign teams, including seven years in the Mexican League.
Before the 2008 season, he was named the hitting coach of the Eugene Emeralds and has also served as a coach for Long Beach Wilson High School, the Tomateros de Culiacán, and at Cerritos College.
Steve Kruse founded Blue Wave Baseball, one of California’s oldest and most respected club baseball organizations.
Over the past 25 years, he has managed over 150 teams ranging from 9U to high school and collegiate levels. These teams have played more than 10,000 games and won more than 150 league and tournament championships, as well as 13 national championships.
His teams have also produced 450+ collegiate and nearly three dozen professional players.
Besides growing Blue Wave, Kruse has an impressive background in management and growing companies as well in the PC software industry with more than 25 years of successful executive-level experience as a President, CEO, COO, and CMO, including a stint as a key executive for PICK Systems in Irvine, CA from 1987 to 1992.
Kruse started his career as a journalist, newspaper Editor and Publisher in the Pacific Northwest, where he garnered 16 national awards for writing, editing, and Journalist excellence from 1972 to 1982.
He started Blue Wave in 1996 as a “hobby” and has 50+ years of experience coaching or managing successful club teams in Football, Basketball, and Baseball.
Though retired, Kruse is working with a startup focused on youth baseball and continues as an adviser to Blue Wave.