Crean Lutheran baseball coach Jake Haney celebrates 300 career victories with players

Crean Lutheran baseball coach Jake Haney was joined by his players to celebrate career win 300 Saturday. (Photo courtesy Crean Lutheran High School).

Crean Lutheran High School baseball coach Jake Haney was honored by players for 300 career victories Saturday after the Saints defeated North Torrance 9-5 in the Anaheim Lions Tournament.

Haney has 216 wins at Crean Lutheran and the rest at East Christian, a Fullerton school which is now closed. The 300th win came earlier in the week.

“To me 300 wins is just a number,” Haney said Monday. “It signifies that I’ve been doing this for a long time, and that’s really about it. By far the best part of it has been the response from former players, assistant coaches and friends in the coaching community. It’s the best part because it brings back so many great memories here at Crean Lutheran, as well as at Eastside Christian.

“Coaching can be a thankless profession a lot of times, but hearing from so many people has really been touching. God has truly blessed me with a wonderful wife and kids that support the long hours, are there to celebrate the amazing highs, and encourage me through the tough times.”

In the tournament win, Crean Lutheran (6-6-1) scored three runs in the first inning and two more in the second inning on the way to its fourth win in a row.

“The big blows were a two-run double in the first inning by Mark Fedro and he also hit a two-run triple in the second inning,” Haney said. “Senior Jimmy Georggin got the win with 3 2/3 strong innings. Sophomore Sho Garcia shut down the Saxons with 3 1/3 innings of one-hit ball with five strikeouts.”