LJ baseball: Frank 30th coach with 300 wins

Gary Frank (far left), who reached 300 wins

at La Jolla High April 17, leans in as coaches

and umpires go over the ground rules

before the Vikings' game at Coronado

April 19. (Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

On Wed., April 17, La Jolla shut out Coronado at home for a 2-0 victory.

The win marked head coach Gary Frank's 300th career win. The former Viking star player, now in his 21st season as head coach at his alma mater, became the 30th coach in the San Diego Section to achieve that level of wins.

Over the past two decades, the former pro second baseman--who learned how to throw right-handed as a youth so that he could play an infield position other than first base--has had six squads with 20 or more wins.

Entering the 2024 season, Gary was already the winningest coach in Viking baseball history, with 287 wins, forging ahead of luminaries like Bob Allen (1990-2003), his immediate predecessor and present assistant coach, and Allan Lamotte, who was at the helm on the old campus field from 1968-1981.