Baseball:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

Perhaps the only thing more satisfying than the happiness and success that Scott Winterburn is currently enjoying in both his personal and professional life, is the fact that the University of La Verne baseball coach has worked tirelessly throughout his 56 years on this planet to earn every hug, kiss and accolade that is directed his way.

On March 19th, his Leopards defeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 8-5, to notch what everyone believed to be his 500th career victory.

A few hours later, they added the icing to Scott’s cake by finishing off a doubleheader sweep of CMS.

The following update to this story doesn’t take a single thing away from the March 19th celebration, but it turns out that Winterburn actually had more wins than he thought.

After Scott recalculated today, it appears that Winterburn reached the 500-win plateau back on February 16th of 2020.

The Leopards claimed a 10-3 victory at No. 23-ranked Concordia in Austin, Texas.

One of the many reasons for Winterburn’s contentment spawns from the unconditional love, support and counsel that he receives from his girlfriend of 12 years, Jody Clarke.

Jody, who also teaches, is every bit Scott’s equal and is someone that Winterburn considers his soulmate.

And it would be virtually impossible to find two people that make Winterburn more happy or proud than his two kids, Natalie and Joe.

They’re both educated, loving and productive, and they represent their mother and father very well.

Joe, 30, and his wife, Gabriela, have two children under the age of two, named Madison and Henry.

Last Saturday, Scott had the honor of walking his 27-year-old daughter down the aisle, as Natalie Winterburn became Mrs. Patrick Holland.

Looking back on his coaching career, Winterburn has 541 victories at three schools.

During this 22-year run at La Verne, he’s tallied 491 wins.

What makes his success at ULV so ironic is that two years before getting the job, he actually interviewed for the position and was turned down.

But the stars aligned in 2001, and at age of 35, he took over the reins of the ULV baseball program, and he’s never looked back since.

Winterburn had some head coaching experience at the collegiate level before getting hired at La Verne.

When Skip Claprood, the Citrus College Hall of Famer took a sabbatical in 1989, Winterburn and Mark Rigney split the duties for a season.

In 2000, Scott filled in at his alma mater (APU) for a man he both played for and coached with, Tony Barbone.

He certainly made the most out of both opportunities, leading the Owls and Cougars to playoff appearances.

How did it all begin?

At an early age, Winterburn quickly developed a love of sports.

It wasn’t just the home runs or touchdowns or three-pointers that entertained Scott, it was just as much the game strategy that piqued his interest.

Winterburn and his father Bob bonded over sports and that included constantly listening to the Lakers, Dodgers, Rams, Kings and even the LA Strings tennis team on the radio.

When ‘Burn’ was in junior high, he was so ahead of his time, that coaches would occasionally ask him to mentor middle school kids, because he was already starting to master the skill of teaching.

Scott’s parents (Bob & Louise) moved the family from Monrovia to Arcadia.

It paid off in a big way, as Scott got to learn and grow from his experiences playing for Arcadia legends Dick Salter (football) and John Miers (baseball).

It was also during his high school career that tragedy would befall the Winterburn family.

Scott’s younger brother Todd was killed in a freak accident in 1982.

He was just 11 years old.

Needless to say, Todd’s passing rocked the Winterburn family, and it was at that moment of devastation that Scott promised himself that he would never take a single day for granted, and 40 years later, there is nothing that he values more than the time he gets to spend with family and friends.

It also forced him to be tough, which is something he also learned from his beautiful, strong, independent and courageous mother, Louise Shortell.

Louise, 81, is still going strong and plays a big role in the lives of her children, grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Before coaching, did Winterburn have a playing career?

After playing football and baseball for Arcadia High School, Winterburn would play two years at Citrus College.

He became the first in his family to attend college.

They had a great run, which ended in a regional loss to the eventual state champions from Cerritos College.

He was also selected in the 13th round of the winter phase of the draft, which meant that franchise had the rights to sign him.

But he wasn’t done with college ball yet.

Winterburn would go on to earn a scholarship from Texas A&M.

In the fall of that year, however, Winterburn got injured behind the plate in an intrasquad game.

It cost him nearly three months to recover.

Scott didn’t get the playing time he desired, so he called Barbone and asked if he could catch for the Cougars.

Tony said yes, and then after his playing days were over, Winterburn would coach on Barbone’s staff for 10 years until he left for the University of La Verne job.

What has made Winterburn such an effective and successful college coach?

It all starts with the pedigree of the men he played for and coached with.

Winterburn took bits and pieces from these giants of the Southern California coaching world.

It was also buoyed by his incredible work ethic.

For a long stretch, Winterburn spent his mornings roofing houses, in the afternoon, he was coaching, and at night, Winterburn went to school.

He’s been described as a baseball genius, and someone with an unmatched passion for the game.

His attention to detail is legendary and his reputation of being a red-ass is, according to those who played for him, an exaggeration.

Those within the program call it tough love with a purpose.

What makes Scott different than many old-school baseball coaches is the fact that he’s constantly attempting to evolve, and he’s not threatened by constructive criticism or suggestions from his mentors and peers.

But here’s what makes Scott Winterburn special.

Instead of having a blanket communication approach with the entire roster, Winterburn invests his time in building individual relationships, and in the process, he finds the most effective and constructive ways to help a young man become better tomorrow than he was today.

Just like most intense coaches, Scott isn’t going to win a popularity contest with everyone, especially those who are soft or feel entitled that they’re owed something.

Just like Skip Claprood, Tony Barbone, Pat McGee and other local baseball coaches known for their passionate and spirited approach, La Verne baseball players leave the university as better students, players and men.

As much as Winterburn loves to win, he said there is nothing more satisfying than watching his athletes graduate, get good jobs and become great husbands and fathers.

This man has an empathy for all people, not just his players.

And it’s something that has made him incredibly popular, as you will see below in both quotes and video messages.

Scott has been described by many as someone who tells his players the truth at all times, and it’s not always what they want to hear.

But he feels the teaching of discipline and holding his players accountable is part of a sacred duty that he owes their parents for entrusting him with their most prized possession.

Scott Winterburn is tough, loving, loyal, and someone who holds his players accountable for their actions.

And because of all that, he’s become one of the most successful college coaches in California state history.

More importantly and most impressively, as said above, Winterburn was the only member of his family to go to college.

So imagine how proud he was when Joe and Natalie earned their college degrees.

His two kids, however, weren’t completely satisfied yet, so both would go on to earn advanced degrees.

And it doesn’t get much better than that.

Lastly, I asked Winterburn to touch on the following topics: Who helped shape your career as a player and a coach? What were some key moments in your life and career?

Said Scott Winterburn: “My little league coach, George Ducich, taught me so much about baseball. At Arcadia HS, I played football for Dick Salter and John Miers. Looking back, I was very lucky to play for such great leaders of young people. They were all very organized, knowledgeable and competitive, and above all they cared about us. Skip was a tremendous leader and teacher, and he had great empathy as a human being. He has been a father figure to me then and ever since. Skip took a sabbatical and turned the team over to myself and Mark Rigney. We were co-head coaches that year. We won 22 games and made the playoffs. I’ll never forget it. It was a great opportunity given to us by Skip. He was always a person who was in your corner, providing opportunities. Tony Barbone offered me a coaching position that next year and APU gave classes and Skip encouraged me to take it, so I did. That started a 10-year run at APU coaching for Tony. We had some great times and I learned so much about everything there. Tony gave me autonomy with pitchers and catchers, plus he taught me about all the things a coach needs to do to be successful off the field. In my last year there, Tony took a sabbatical in pro ball and gave me the opportunity to be the head coach in 2000. I was happy for this opportunity, and we were fortunate enough to win 29 games that year and make the playoffs. From 1991-2000, I coached full summer camps for Mark Cresse and Jeff Pressman, both great mentors for me who showed me how to run camps and became great friends. It was a great opportunity to meet other coaches and also have a summer income!

All of this led to La Verne. I actually didn’t get the job here the first time I applied. But, two years later I did get the call from Jimmy Paschal and I accepted. This opportunity became my life’s work. Teaching and coaching, administration. It’s been a career filled with highs. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be than where I’ve been, truly. I also had a great opportunity to coach with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League. I became the pitching coach for them in 2011 and 2012. The legendary Cape League coach was John Schiffner and our assistants were Pat McGee (head coach at PCC who got me the job) and Derek Sullivan (Sac City JC). That was a great time and I’m thankful to work for people who competed the way we did. At LV, we enjoyed five conference titles, been in the playoffs six times and had a lot of successful seasons. Gabe Miranda, our assistant coach, has been with me at La Verne every step of the way. I’m very proud of the man he continues to be to his family and the greater community. Clint Harwick and Don Woodward have been friends for a long time. Both very successful in their careers and they always make time for a call and for solutions. I love them both very dearly.

My dad was great and obviously a huge influence. He taught me how to play sports and was always a teacher even though he never taught in a school. However, it was my mom who demonstrated and taught the concept of grit and the right attitude for the task at hand. She would always say that if you start thinking yourself a certain way, pretty soon you’ll be right (good and bad). So, it was her who taught me what it really means to believe that you can do something, you can do it when you set your mind to it. She worked, raised a family, lost a child, endured a divorce, helped raise my two kids Natalie and Joe and now is helping to raise my granddaughter Madison.”

Below the quotable section are both individual video tributes and on-camera interviews, highlighted by the input of Citrus College and APU (coaching) legends, Skip Claprood and Tony Barbone, respectively, as well as Winterburn’s trusted right-hand man for the last 22 years, Gabe Miranda.

To view a photo gallery of Winterburn, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook

Quotable:

Arcadia coach, Nick Lemas: “I moved down to Southern California in 2000 for my junior year at the University of La Verne. Coach Bobby Lee was the head coach at the time I decided to come to ULV. Within days of my arrival, Coach Lee called to say he was leaving for another job and that his successor would be figured out and named in the coming weeks. I didn’t know anything about Burn when he got the job. It was a rough adjustment at first. He was a lot different than any coach I’d ever played for. Plus he was coming into a program and trying to establish a new standard. It took some time, but the culture began to change.

I graduated in 2002 and ended up coaching at ULV in 2004 and helped get our first SCIAC championship under Burn. I got a teaching job the following year and left to begin my high school teaching and coaching career. And now I get to coach at his alma mater. It’s so cool to see how many lives he has helped mold. All the current coaches in our area that played for him, like me, have a lot of similarities in their coaching styles I’m sure. Not to mention all the success we have all had. It’s not a coincidence he has bred so many successful coaches. He continues to be a mentor and someone I can go to for advice on and off the field. I couldn’t be more proud to have played for him and to be a part of that very first win that started it all.”

Scott’s son, Joe Winterburn: “My parents raised me to always follow my passion. They made sure that I stayed busy playing sports and instilled in me hard work and dedication to your craft. My dad always wanted the best for me, he spent countless hours throwing me batting practice and helping me become not only a better baseball player, but a better man.  I admire his work ethic the most, growing up he was a teacher, a baseball coach and ran baseball camps in the winter and summer. He has impacted so many lives doing what he loves most, coaching. There are too many people to count that look up to him as a mentor.”

Clint Harwick Junior: “Coach Winterburn is the consummate college baseball coach, who each year takes a collection of individuals and molds them into a team that understands they are each better collectively than individually. The culture he has built at the University of La Verne is measured by more than wins and losses, rather is symbolized by the countless alumni who come back to watch the current team and bask in the memories of their time in the green and orange. Scott’s impact on the development of young men goes beyond his reach in the collegiate ranks to his time spent in youth camps, local little leagues, and his ongoing role of father and now grandfather. Congrats on win #500, but more importantly congrats on changing so many lives during the journey.”

Former APU Baseball Coach, Tony Barbone: “Simply stated, he’s been like a son to me. I love this guy. I am not sure where to start. We had similar journeys in our childhood and lives that we have discussed several times and often it was hard for a couple of hard-headed and stubborn guys. I have been blessed to watch him become an All-American student-athlete, a revered teammate, a coach, a great dad to Joe and Natalie, an athletic director and an outstanding leader. He is one of the toughest and strongest people I know. He leads with passion for others with a strong commitment to his values and personal tenets. You will always know where he stands as he is a committed and courageous communicator while willing to grow and listen. In his 10 years as my assistant, we had a few “discussions” that displayed our passion and love at the same time. I am sure we could both tell stories forever that would entertain many, especially those who witnessed them.

‘Burn’ is one of the best storytellers around…just ask his team as he sets records for longest postgame speeches in collegiate baseball history. Not too mention his singing ability as we traveled in the vans that was unmatched, according to him of course. I believe his journey renditions are the best, though he is a rocker by nature. I can recall and appreciate this man of integrity from putting a new roof on our home, having my daughters babysit his kids (they said he paid the best), helping us move into our first home and not mention the support he has given me in my recent journey. As I stated earlier, I love Burn like a son. I am grateful for him and how he has made me a better person, embraced my family, demonstrates his love and now leads young men in helping them develop and contribute. Those who have had him in their lives are lucky. And now, as life comes full circle, he is a grandfather…he will be awesome.”

Former Citrus College coach, Skip Claprood: “As a coach, you begin to recognize those players that have an opportunity to be an outstanding coach. At 18, Scott displayed the passion, self-discipline and accountability to become an outstanding coach. He demands a lot of his players and staff, but always has empathy for the individual’s daily struggle. The best compliment I can give Scott is that I would want my grandsons to spend four years under his tutelage.”

Mt. SAC coach, John Knott: “Coach Winterburn is such an amazing person, who has had a major impact in my life. Anyone who has met him knows you will get an honest answer plus a willingness to hear you out. One of the most powerful things any coach can do for a player or person is to totally believe in them and see something in them that maybe they don’t see for them self. I felt like Coach Winterburn had that kind of impact on me as a player, coach, and friend. He is always willing to teach and push others to be better than they were previously.”

PCC coach, Pat McGee: “I am so grateful for having met Scott as 20-year-old student-athlete. I had a tremendous amount of growing to do at the time and I had no idea the long-lasting impact he was going to have on my life, career and family. Most people are aware of the impact he’s had on players and coaches, but what they don’t know is Scott Winterburn is the best teacher and educator I have ever observed in my 30 years in the classroom. I had the privilege of completing my student-teaching assignment under his leadership at a very early time in my career. Like so many others that he’s mentored, that opportunity and the lifelong friendship that followed have made me a better teacher, coach, father and husband. I am beyond blessed to call Scott a friend.”

South Hills coach, Darren Murphy: “When I think of Coach Winterburn, I think of integrity. He’s always going to do what he feels is right. He’s always going to make his players earn things. He’s always going to hold you accountable. He’s direct and a really smart baseball coach. He’s been a great representative of the University of La Verne.”

Former Glendora coach, Dan Henley: Scott is a very passionate and dedicated coach and has always served as a great mentor to his student-athletes.”

Paul Coppes: “When I first met Coach Winterburn, I was an 18-year-old young man who had no idea what it was to be a man. I thought that Coach Winterburn was going to turn me into a better catcher, a better hitter but instead Scot turned me into a better man. I could go on and on about the challenging practices that he laid before me and the constant push to make me better as a person, but what he modeled was how to be passionate about life and how to be a man of integrity and of character. Although Scot was my baseball coach, he became like a second father to me because of the amount of time that we spent together on the field and the life lessons I learned from him. Both as a player, and then being able to coach beside him, I learned how to be a compassionate person to others when needed and how to challenge others to meet their potential. He modeled how to be a loving father and he showed me day in and day out the drive to keep working to strive to meet your individual and group goals. Burn always made time for me. Whether it was sharing meal or a quick chat after practice.”

Upland coach, AJ Garbick: “Coach Winterburn is a father figure to me. I have been able to watch his kids grow up as he now gets to see mine. He has been such a great mentor to me as a player and as a man. We have always had communication after my graduation and I appreciate the connection and friendship he has given to me. I owe it to him for pushing me to graduate and always stay detailed. I have used and instilled the values he has taught me into my own personal life as well as with my kids. He has impacted me more than he could ever know. All the thanks in the world Papa Burn.”

Former Azusa HS & Citrus College coach, Mark Rigney: “Scott Winterburn is a very dear friend. I knew he would be successful as a coach and in his life from the time I met him as a sophomore at Citrus College, where he was the catcher. Always intense as an athlete, as a coach and as a teacher. He’s always available to assist individuals if needed. I’m grateful that he asked me to help him start program at the University of La Verne. That meant a lot to me.”

University of La Verne’s Deputy Director of Athletics, Jenna Pantier: “Scott is the type of coach who sees the big picture often before anyone else does, and he understands what it takes to achieve the desired results. That wisdom, along with the dedication to the young men on his team, creates an environment that teaches his athletes how to find success – on and off the field.”

Scott’s mom, Louise Shortell: “When he was very little, he was already meeting and leading kids in the neighborhood. In junior high, they would ask him to teach younger kids It was important to me as he grew up that he knew the lord. I wanted him to be kind and generous to people. Scott understands the way the college level is played and he always tells the truth, even if they don’t want to hear it.”