JIM KRAJEWSKI
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 11/7/2007
Nik Kosach put himself in a difficult position, but it’s exactly where he wants to be.
After graduating in May 2006 from the University of Portland in Oregon, where he played baseball for four seasons, Kosach was working at a fairly lucrative job as a sales rep in San Francisco.
But his heart was still with baseball.
Kosach, who graduated from Reno High in 2002, had been in contact with Jedd Soto, the coach at St. Mary’s in Moraga, Calif. The two found they shared not only a passion for the sport, but a coaching philosophy.
Soto asked Kosach to be a volunteer assistant for the Gaels.
“It dawned on me that I wanted to continue to be a part of baseball,” Kosach said.
Soto, who played at Reed (’93) and coached at Feather River College before going to St. Mary’s, is entering his fifth season at the small, liberal arts school. He also has former Carson standout Gabe Zappin as an assistant coach.
Kosach said the school can only have three paid assistants, but he sees this season as a valuable learning experience.
“It’s very tough financially for me,” Kosach said. “I’m not making any money, but I am going back to school.”
He plans to pursue his masters degree in sports management in the summer.
Kosach played catcher at Reno and his senior season at Portland and will be coaching catchers and outfielders at St. Mary’s.
He’s also learning aspects of coaching he wasn’t familiar with, such as fund-raising. He said the Gaels are trying to raise money to play at Miami next year and he’s charged with selling advertising on the outfield fence to pay for that trip.
So far, he loves his new life though.
Kosach, who will turn 24 in a couple weeks, was working in the office on Monday, his day off.
“Sometimes it takes a year apart from something to realize what you’re missing in your life,” he said. “My mind was always on the game, I wanted to be a part of it still in some shape or form.”
He also got some advice from former UNLV coach Fred Dallimore, who played with his father, Steven Kosach at Nevada in the 60s.
“He was really positive with me,” Nik Kosach said. “He told me you’ll be a great coach if you love the game, if you have a passion for it.”
He said because of Soto being there, St. Mary’s was good opportunity to get his foot in the door of the coaching world.
“He’s a good coach, but more than that, he’s a good person,” Kosach said of Soto. “He treats every player with respect. It’s really a family here.”
Anthony Selden from Fernley and Garrett Silva from Reed are on the St. Mary’s roster this season.