LO baseball in line for success even after Cummins steps
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The first time he ordered uniforms as manager of Live Oak’s baseball team, Mark Cummins received three calls back the next day.
“Coach, we’ve got a question,” the voice on the other end of one those calls said. “Are you sure you want it to say ‘Acorns’ on the front?”
“Yeah,” Cummins responded.
“You sure? That’s A-C-O-R-N-S.”
“Yeah, that’s who we are.”
Having pride in one’s program has never been a problem for Cummins. It has been one of the core values of his teams at Santa Clara and Live Oak since he began coaching at the prep level more than a quarter of a century ago.
Winning? His career has never been about that, though Cummins has had a knack for Ws; the biggest being the elusive Central Coast Section title game he won with his son, Matthew, and the Acorns in 2008.
It took him 24 years to win prep baseball’s biggest prize, and the satisfaction was short-lived.
“The first couple of days last year, I was content. We finally won it,” says Cummins, who keeps his championship ring on top of his dresser. “But then once the next season started going, you get the competitive desire in you to go for every game, every pitch the best you can. Once you get into the season, you just want to compete.”
The ol’ ball coach plans to step down in “a few years,” but Cummins still wants to compete. His combative juice was flowing Sunday as the 48-year-old spoke for 50 minutes at the California Baseball Coaches Association’s annual Northern California Coaches Clinic. Before a crowd of about 200 inside Archbishop Mitty’s Aymar Event Center, Cummins eloquently — and humorously — touched on some of the lessons he has learned through 25 years of coaching baseball.
A member of the CBCA Hall of Fame, Cummins barely finished the first page of his outline.
“It’s better to have too much than too little, I guess,” he said afterward.
Cummins began writing his speech two weeks ago. He was as nervous as anyone would be beforehand, though he wasn’t talking in front of strangers. Many in attendance had played for him, coached with him or gone head to head.
“It was great seeing him up there,” said one of the event’s organizers, Chris Volta, who played under Cummins during his two years as coach at Santa Clara. “He’s been very successful. We all knew he would be. He was, like, right out of college when he coached us, so he was barely older than the players.”
Cummins talked about the countless coaching clinics he has attended and the advice books he has read. His role models include New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Dr. Ken Ravizza, a sports psychologist and renowned hitting instructor whom Cummins models his relationship with his players after.
“They need to know you care about them before they care about what you know,” Cummins said, quoting Ravizza.
One of the most rewarding aspects of his career has been Live Oak baseball’s annual Alumni Weekend, which features a game between the current starters and past varsity players and a home run derby for veterans. (Last year, it became a ground-rule double derby.)
The turnout is always good.
“I love seeing the kids come back — although most of them aren’t kids anymore,” Cummins said. “You get to see them and see that you made a difference in their lives. We have lawyers, plumbers, Oakland police officers, San Jose (Police Department); guys that are making successful careers.”
Cummins father, Larry, was just as close with his players during his coaching days.
“When I was a kid, we used to go around town and run into people here and there and hear, ‘Coach, it’s good to see you. I’m working here now and doing this and that.’ It made a big impact for me,” Cummins said. “I always wanted to coach just like my father.”
Years disappeared from Cummins’ face as he shared tales and quips.
“I recognize most of you out there,” he said. “Thank you for making me a part of your big Pro Bowl weekend.”
Cummins was one of eight coaches scheduled to speak, joining his brother, Mike. Bill Hutton, another event coordinator who estimated he has coached against Cummins 20 times, purposely had Cummins speak first Sunday.
“Sometimes, you want to start with the best pitching coach, or the best technical guy or some guy you want to honor,” said Hutton, who is entering his 28th year of coaching Archbishop Mitty. “Mark is all of those guys. He’s the guy.
“Coaches come, and coaches go. The ones that stick around are the ones that get it. You’re lucky enough if you find someone like Mark. He’s a great friend of mine.”
The story behind Live Oak’s one-of-a-kind uniforms underlined five words that have played a part in Cummins’ 438 career wins and 12 league championships. Together, they make up the Acorns’ motto: pride, believe, respect, together, finish.
“Always take pride and believe in your team while respecting your opponent,” he said. “Stay together, win or lose, and always finish what you start.”
Cummins, who is also the athletic director at LOHS, only recently has hinted toward when he might retire from coaching. It will likely be after his stepson, Kyle Luscher, graduates. Luscher, a junior, plays baseball and basketball for Live Oak.
Whenever that time comes, Cummins plans to spend more time with his wife, Lisa, and hand the program over to C.J. Goularte, who has been well groomed for the position as a player and assistant coach under Cummins. Goularte has accompanied Cummins to several clinics and was on his staff when the Acorns won CCS.
“That was great for all of us, all of Mark’s former players, to see him finally win it,” Goularte said.
“What makes Mark a great coach is his knowledge for the game, his understanding of the game … and his ability to keep things positive and make it fun. Then, there’s his pride. He loves Live Oak. Being the A.D., he’s like the last one to leave work each day after the custodian.”
Replacing a storied coach is never easy. In the style of Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden, who named Jimbo Fisher his replacement years before he retired this winter, Cummins is doing all he can to make the process as painless as possible. Live Oak baseball is in stable hands with Goularte.
“C.J. is going to do a great job when he takes over,” Cummins said during a quick discussion outside the Aymar Center. “I think we’re going to do just fine.”
And with that, he smiled and made his way back to the clinic at a walk-to-the-mound pace. The next day, his Acorns began spring training.
