For four seasons, Samuel Lopez, the baseball coach at Summit High in Fontana, has been coaching son Sammy, the starting second baseman. No one knows how the dynamics might work when a father takes on the role of also being the coach for his teenage son, but everyone agrees the memories being created and the fun being experienced have been great.
“He’s a great kid,” Samuel said.
Sammy, committed to California Baptist, recently collected his 100th career hit in high school.
Dad and son work on hitting at home and at Summit. Sammy says, “He’s always holding us accountable.”
Summit is 4-3 and one of the favorites to win the Sunkist League. …
Maranatha basketball coach Tim Tucker has been coaching so long (32 years) that the opposing coach he faces on Tuesday in the Southern California Division III regional final, Daniel Piepoli, used to play for him at Pasadena. In fact, Pasadena will be the site for the game between Maranatha and San Gabriel Academy.
Here’s the link to complete regional final pairings. The winners on Tuesday advance to the state basketball championships Friday and Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
