Prep baseball: Tars name Desguin baseball coach

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Joel Desguin, a 15-year coaching veteran with stops

as an assistant at Corona del Mar High, Orange Coast College and several

schools in Florida, was named varsity baseball coach Tuesday at Newport

Harbor High.

Desguin, 37, replaces Jim Kiefer, who resigned earlier this month

after six seasons at the Sailors’ helm.

Desguin teaches physical education at Kaiser and Mariners elementary

schools. He said he will work this year as a walk-on, then hope to gain a

teaching position at Harbor.

“My philosophies are kind of old school,” said Desguin, who was a

junior varsity assistant last year at CdM, after two seasons on Coach

John Altobelli’s OCC staff. “One of big things I tell the kids is that

hard work beats talent, if talent doesn’t work hard.”

Desguin said he knows little about the Newport baseball team’s lack of

success, which includes 12 straight seasons without making the CIF

Southern Section playoffs. The Tars were 18-74 in the rugged Sea View

League under Kiefer.

“I do know that other programs here have been successful, so there

have to be some athletes,” said Desguin, who met with his players Tuesday

and will begin assembling a staff immediately.

Desguin, a Costa Mesa resident, helped lead Charlotte High in Punta

Gorda, Fla. to a state title game, before playing one season as a

starting outfielder for Piedmont College in Georgia.

He then attended Florida State University, where he eventually became

a graduate assistant, and coached at several high schools in Florida,

including his alma mater. He also was an instructor at the Doyle Brothers

Baseball School, headed by former major leaguer Denny Doyle.

This is his first varsity head-coaching position and he said he plans

to remain at Harbor long enough for his 8-year-old son, Jordan, to

eventually play for him.

“Newport reminds me a lot of my high school and I plan to be involved

in the community,” Desguin said. “I told someone this is a

once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to coach at the high school my son is

going to go to. I don’t plan on moving anywhere else.”