‘Matt is very happy where he is now,’ Beckman coach says

Beckman baseball coach Kevin Lavalle supports Matt McLain’s decision.

Nobody knows Matt McLain as well as Beckman baseball coach Kevin Lavalle.

He coached the All-CIF shortstop for four years, was amazed at his talents and supported his recent decision to turn down a $2.6 million offer to play for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team that picked him in the first round. McLain decided to honor his scholarship at UCLA and play college baseball for the Bruins.

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“A lot of people have asked me that and the truth is, I’m very close to Matt and we talked throughout the whole process,” Lavalle said before the Beckman World Series Friday. “The money is the first thing that everybody sees. They see that dollar figure and they say, ‘wow, how can that kid not sign?’

“The truth is, in my opinion, number one, it’s nobody’s business besides the McLains and number two, I know Matt is very happy with where he is right now. I think to say that not signing was what he wanted to do all along is not necessarily true. It just had to be right for him.

“And anybody who says that kid thinks he’s not worth that money, that is absolutely patently false. It’s not about the money. There wasn’t like a dollar figure that Matt said, ‘this is what I’m worth.’ It was more about him being comfortable and him developing. If you had to give a one sentence answer to the thing, the kid wanted to play college baseball and he always has.

“The day that the signing day came and went, I know that was probably the first time in six months where honestly Matt was able to take a deep breath and sit back and know what his future holds for him. And that’s something that he’s wanted. The way he handled everything this year, I couldn’t have asked more from a player dealing with Major League baseball teams coming to every single practice that we had, not just the games and being asked to fill out questionnaires.

“So now I know he’s happy because he can focus on two things; number one playing baseball and number two, the kid has a genuine interest in winning a College World Series. And that’s when really is when he’s at his best is when he’s competing for something above and beyond himself and proving himself.”

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Lavalle has heard some say there is a risk in McLain passing up the offer, even though McLain will be eligible for the draft in three years again.

“What a wonderful risk to take,” Lavalle said. “He’s going to get an education and he’s going to wear the baby blue and from the time he’s known the difference between college baseball and pro baseball, he’s wanted to be a Bruin and now he will be.”

Of course, life at Beckman goes on without McLain. The Patriots won the PCL title last season and advanced to the CIF Division 2 title game before losing to Yucaipa, 8-1.

“I think we’re going to be good,” Lavalle said about next season. “I think I say that every single summer. There are a lot of question marks, but I know there are answers too. Definitely coming off the season we had, there are two ways you can go. You can take a deep breath and wait for next season again or you can get right back on the horse and this senior class has really done that. From the minute we got out here in the summer it’s been a clean slate.

“A lot of guys have a lot to prove but also understanding what we did last year wasn’t an accident. They saw that senior class and the way they practiced and the way that they lead and the way they prepared themselves. So they’ve learned from that. Maybe even unconsciously, but the bar has been set very high, not just in terms of wins and losses but set the bar has been set very high as far as preparation and dedication.

“We’re going to have a large senior class this year and as of right now, they’re all on the same page and it’s a great place for us to be.”