Photos by Taegan Maysami

Softball:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

If you want to get the job done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself.

And that’s exactly what Darren Baumunk did.

Baumunk, who shares Bonita’s co-athletic director duties with Michelle Okayama, has been at the La Verne school for 17 years.

Coach B led the BHS softball program back in 2006 & 2007, and they had a combined record of 20-29-1.

After 15 years, and despite being busy as the co-AD, and coaching (girls freshman) volleyball and (girls varsity) basketball in the fall and winter seasons, respectively, Baumunk wanted another shot at taking the softball program to the next level.

In his first year back at the helm, and along with Jeff Butler and Phillip Phong, Baumunk helped lead the program to its greatest season in school history.

The Bearcats’ 28 wins in 2022 was the most ever, and their 13-2 mark in Palomares League play was good enough to clinch their first outright league title since 2013.

Most importantly, Bonita would defeat El Rancho (9-2), Kennedy (5-0), Sunny Hills (2-1), Temescal Canyon (4-1) and Tesoro (6-0) to claim the first CIF-SS (Division 3) softball championship in school history.

Before this historic 2022 season, Bonita hadn’t made a CIF-SS title-game appearance since just before Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan duked it out in the 1980 election.

After 11 days off from the May 20th CIF-SS D-3 triumph, the Bearcats would defeat Rancho Buena Vista, 5-2, in the first round of the CIF State Division 2 playoffs, before falling at Torrance, 3-2, in the state semifinal.

It is because of that overwhelming success that we have named Darren Baumunk the 210 Prep Sports Softball Coach of the Year.

(Pictured L-R: Jeff Butler, Darren Baumunk & Phillip Phong)

It wasn’t just Bonita’s success that earned Baumunk this recognition, it was just as much the way his program responded to their failures.

After standing alone for quite some time atop the Palomares League standings, the Bearcats lost consecutive games to Ayala and Glendora.

The Tartans’ 7-4 victory on March 24th allowed GHS to catch BHS.

This Bonita team, however, refused to fold, as they won the last seven league games to secure an outright championship.

Baumunk’s practices were detailed, intense and there wasn’t a single drill that didn’t serve a purpose.

As much as Baumunk, Butler and Phong did to put their girls in a position to be successful, a deep and selfless Bearcats’ lineup deserves the lion’s share of credit for this run.

And no one would echo that statement more than Darren Baumunk.

It all started with Brooklyn Shroyer, who had a remarkable junior year in the circle.

Shroyer went 22-3, with a 1.01 ERA.

Of her 25 starts, Shroyer went the distance 20 times, and she allowed just nine earned runs in seven playoff games.

Alyssa Doucette played a starring role with her bat and at shortstop.

Doucette batted .395, with 49 hits, 31 runs, 27 RBIs, eight doubles, three triples & six home runs.

I’ll go into much more detail about all that Shroyer and Doucette contributed in the Players of the Year story.

Baumunk’s players and peers stated without a scintilla of ambiguity that even ahead of winning, Darren’s insistence that the girls had fun was first and foremost in his mind.

Part of the reason that he was able to foster a championship mentality, was his ability to bring calm to stressful and challenging moments throughout the season, and that allowed his athletes the chance to reboot and regain their composure.

There was no way that any of this success could have been achieved without the support, love and sacrifices of his wife, Amanda Baumunk.

Darren and Amanda will mark their 18th wedding anniversary in two months, and they have three children named Payton, who is 16, Addyson is 15, and their youngest is three-year old Cade.

“My wife has been huge and a big part of my success, especially this year with me coaching volleyball, basketball and softball, he said. “She has supported me year in and year out with my coaching and has always been at all the games for support.  My family has sacrificed so much for me and my coaching, and I love them all very much.”

Lastly, I asked Darren what changes he saw that needed to be implemented, were the biggest improvements this program made to write their names into the history books and any message he had for his coaching staff, players, their parents and Bonita High School in general.

Said Darren Baumunk: “The main things that I noticed about the softball program was that No. 1 the girls were not having fun, No. 2,  I felt that it was not a true program.  It was more of a JV team and a varsity team.  I feel strongly that a program isn’t a program until there is a bond and a connection between the JV and varsity players. It didn’t seem like the players were enjoying going to practice and games, almost like it was a chore. The biggest improvement was that every day we made sure that the girls were having fun and were enjoying themselves. I feel the  girls were playing together as one instead of individually and not worrying about how many innings or at-bats they were going to get.  The girls were more worried about the team instead of themselves. After every practice, players would stay and take it upon themselves to get extra work in.

I would like to take a minute to thank all of the players and coaches for all your hard work, commitment and dedication to the Bonita softball program.  I cannot thank you all enough.  I also would like to thank the parents for all their support and being patient with the new coaching staff.  Administration and Bonita Staff, thank you for all your support.  Seeing all of you at games this year meant so much to the girls and program.  Last but not least, I want to thank you Leo for all that you have done and continue to do for this program and especially for all the current players as well as former players.  We appreciate everything you do.”

Quotable:

Bonita principal, Kenny Ritchie: “Darren came to me and said that he was interested. He had just finished coaching freshman volleyball and had taken over the head coach position for the varsity girls basketball. When I asked if he was up for taking a third team in one year, he said absolutely. Softball is his passion and he loves to coach it. After getting the position, he got right to work addressing some of the major concerns that had come up regarding the program. He started fundraising immediately, got a new bin for the equipment, put together practice plans that were detailed timely. Throughout the year, he instilled in the girls a passion for working hard and working together.

Throughout the season, they became a team that had a lot of success early, then a bad beat, which actually brought them closer together. After that loss, they were unstoppable. Darren is a great coach who truly cares for his athletes on and off the field. He is dedicated to making the program the best it can be and the amount of time he puts into it shows on the field and in the win-loss column. The practice, strategy and high coaching IQ, Darren and his team won a CIF Championship in his first season as head coach. While he will personally never take credit, he always gives credit to the girls and their work ethic. With the talent that is coming back next year, he is looking to make another run deep into the playoffs.”

Bonita co-AD, Michelle Okayama: “As an Athletic Director, Darren knew what our softball program needed when he took over and did a great job at implementing them, and most importantly, bringing the team together again.”

Bonita baseball coach, Ryan Marcos: “Darren loves Bonita, the community of La Verne, and he’s a very supportive athletic director to all the coaches and players at Bonita. I can’t say anything bad about him, he’s just a great co-worker and friend. He’s got a ton to give so it’s no surprise his softball team found so much success this year. I think Darren has a way of getting the most out of people in team situations because he believes in people, he’s a fierce competitor, he’s trustworthy, and he keeps it fun. If you watched a Bonita softball game this year, you could feel the energy, the girls were having a blast and the wins just kept rolling, because they were playing the game how it’s supposed to be played. The softball program is in good hands with Coach Baumunk!”

Glendora softball coach & Palomares League rival, Mike Quiroz: “You can tell Darren cares for his athletes first and coaching second. He coaches from the inside out. The athlete and how to get their best by expressing genuine care for the athletes. The collected environment and health of the team is more important than the skills of the individual members. It something we all aspire to do, but Darren does it a little bit better. Congratulations to you, Jeff, staff, and of course, their players.”

Bonita sophomore shortstop, Alyssa Doucette: “I think the coaches were successful with us because they communicated with us very well. Sometimes with female athletes, we can get a little emotional, and they always knew how to respond to us. I feel like we had a balance with all the coaches. Coach Baumunk was the chill one, but he could yell once in a while if the moment called for it. We had coach Philip who was just chill and the positive one in every situation. Then there was Coach Butler. He was an interesting man, he would be on us every practice no matter what, which I believe everyone needs, because he always kept us in check. I appreciate how understanding they were with all of us. They always wanted to communicate with us to make sure we were taken care of.”

Bonita junior pitcher, Brooklyn Shroyer: “I think Coach B and the staff were so successful this season because they really took the time to get to learn about us, not only how we play but our personalities as well. They would always joke around with us (at the appropriate times) and just really trusted what we were doing on and off the field. I appreciate how much they cared about the team. All three coaches would do literally anything for the team and that made us (the players) feel really safe, therefore, we put all our trust into them and not only did that make the girls come together as a team, but the coaches bonded with us really well.”

Bonita junior catcher, Bryce Shroyer: “I appreciate Coach B and his staff because they pushed us to work hard and work together every single day. I think they had so much success because they made the us feel like a family.”

Bonita’s Statistical Leaders:

Pitching:
Brooklyn Shroyer: (22-3, 1.01 ERA, 20 CG, 159.1 IP, 14 BB, 212 K’s)

Batting Leaders:
Alyssa Doucette: (.395, 49 hits, 31 runs, 27 RBIs, eight doubles, three triples & six home runs)
Mireya Rico: (.356, 32 hits, 22 runs, 18 RBIs, six doubles & two HR’s)
Hailey Marquez: (.352, 31 hits, eight runs, 26 RBIs, six doubles & three HR’s)
Kailey Scott: (.324, 34 hits, 19 runs, 15 RBIs, five doubles, three triples & one HR)
Kali Blount: (.302, 29 hits, 19 runs, 24 RBIs, seven doubles, one triple & four HR’s)
Lauryn Ureno: (.284, 19 hits, 20 runs, 13 RBIs, two doubles & one HR)
Bryce Shroyer: (.261, 18 hits, four runs, 14 RBIs, three doubles & two HR’s)

2022 Palomares League Standings:
Bonita (28-6-1, 13-2)
Ayala (14-7, 10-5)
Glendora (18-10-2, 10-5)
Claremont (11-10, 6-9)
Alta Loma (7-15, 5-10)
Colony (11-17, 1-14)

Bonita’s 2022 CIF-SS & State Playoff Results:
5/5: Bonita 9, El Rancho 2
5/10: Bonita 5, Kennedy 0
5/12: Bonita 2, Sunny Hills 1
5/14: Bonita 4, Temescal Canyon 1
5/20: Bonita 6, Tesoro 0
5/31: Bonita 5, Rancho Buena Vista 2
6/2: Torrance 3, Bonita 2

Bonita High School Softball, 2005-2022:
2022: (28-6-1 overall, 13-2 in league)
2021: (11-8, 9-6)
2020: (7-5, 1-0)
2019: (18-10, 9-6)
2018: (14-10, 10-5)
2017: (14-15, 7-9)
2016: (11-14, 4-7)
2015: (11-13, 5-4)
2014: (17-7, 10-2)
2013: (23-7, 12-0)
2012: (18-8, 10-2)
2011: (23-5, 10-2)
2010: (25-5-1, 10-2)
2009: (20-6-1, 9-3)
2008: (11-14, 4-8)
2007: (11-14, 5-7)
2006: (9-15-1, 5-6-1)
2005: (15-11, 8-3)