Parker’s baseball program will see a new head coach at the helm this year—the first time the position has changed hands in many years. Amad Stephens will take over for longtime head coach David Glassey on Feb. 9, 2019. He comes to Parker from Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, where he was assistant head coach and pitching coach for the championship-winning team.
“To replace a legend like Coach Glassey is going to be tough,” says Amad, “If I’m half as good as he is, it’ll be a great start. I’m hoping to keep his winning tradition going.”
Born and raised in San Diego, Amad is a retired minor league baseball player. He played with the Yankee organization between 2003 and 2009, and was named Minor League Rookie of the Year and Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2003 and 2004, respectively.
Since retiring from professional baseball, Amad has coached teams at Southwestern Community College, Eastlake High, and currently serves as the youth director for Garciaparra Baseball Group, a premier high-school level and youth baseball club, in San Diego.
“It’s not about the wins—which I’m confident we will have,” says Amad, “but much more about what you learn about the game of baseball and yourself that builds character.”
When Amad takes over as Parker’s head baseball coach this year, it will be the first time he’s served as the official head of a team.
“This is my opportunity to go from the background to the front. As an assistant coach, you don’t get credit for what you do. This is my opportunity to stand out front and be responsible for what I do.”
Beyond his love of baseball, Amad says his favorite part of coaching is the teaching aspect—that “aha” moment his players have when they’re able to perform on the field what they’ve been working on at practice—and building relationships with those players.
Anthony Thomas, the School’s new athletic director, is excited to welcome Amad to the Parker community.
“Coach Stephens impressed me with his passion and attention to detail, but the overarching reason why I’m so excited about him joining the Parker community is his commitment to a student-centered approach to coaching,” says Anthony. “At the very heart of why he coaches is the development of character of his players. With us both being new, we have an opportunity to build our relationship with our student-athletes. I look forward to working with him on that and continuing the strong baseball legacy that we have here.”
Parker’s varsity team starts their season in February, at which time Amad says he’ll learn which players do what, what they’re good at, find their place and add to their strengths. He will also look to the expertise of Parker’s senior players to introduce him to the team and to the program Glassey has built for the last three decades.
His goals are to develop young men of character who will compete at the highest level while building his own legacy at Parker.
“It’s not about the wins—which I’m confident we will have,” says Amad, “but much more about what you learn about the game of baseball and yourself that builds character.”
