Former Baler Michael Baumgartner was announced today as the new boys' basketball coach at San Benito High School, taking over for David Kaplansky, who accepted the men's head coaching job at Gavilan College.
Baumgartner, San Benito High School Class of 1983, was also hired as a special education teacher at the school. He most recently has been an educational specialist at Christopher High School, where he worked with new San Benito Superintendent John Perales, who spoke highly of the new coach in an email to school staff.
"I have had the pleasure of working with Mike for many years and he is a top-notch individual, teacher and coach who deeply cares about students," Perales said.
Baumgartner earned an associate of arts and sciences degree from Gavilan College and a bachelor's in speech and language pathology from San Jose State University. He was the 2001 Tri-County Athletic League coach of the year and led Gilroy High to a league title in 2010 before stepping down in 2011 after six seasons with the Mustangs.