Bobby Hill hired as new West Valley baseball coach

SARATOGA - Former Mission College mentor Bobby Hill is the new West Valley baseball coach, WVC Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics John Vlahos announced Friday. Coach Hill led Mission to a 178-120-3 overall record, 93-50 in the Coast Conference since 2015. Most recently, Hill's 2023 Saints captured their third Coast title in five years and advanced to the CCCAA NorCal Super Regional playoffs.

"We are thrilled to announce the hiring of Bobby Hill as our next baseball coach," Vlahos said. "Coach Hill has achieved great success at every level of his baseball career. As a high school player, he was a league and section champion at Leland HS in San Jose. At the University of Miami, he led the Hurricanes to a NCAA College World Series championship, was a first-team All-American, and was later inducted into the school's Hall of Fame. Coach Hill played for Team USA and reached the major leagues, playing for both the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates."

Hill was one of the best players to ever wear a Miami Hurricane unifrom. He remains Miami's career stolen base leader (139), is second in runs scored (240) and third in hit-by-pitch. He finished his Hurricane career with a .360 average and is still in the school top ten in hits (253) and walks (166), and he reached base in 97 consecutive games. In 1999, Hill led the 'Canes to their third NCAA national championship.

Coach Hill played seven years of professional baseball, of which five were at the major league level. Hill was originally drafted by the Los Angeles (then Anaheim) Angels after graduating from Leland. The Chicago White Sox drafted Hill in the second round of the 2000 draft after his record-setting Miami career. He played for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League until he was again drafted in the second round, this time by the Chicago Cubs in 2000. While with the Cubs, Hill was named "Prospect of the Year" and made his major league debut in 2002. He remained with the Cubs organization until 2003 when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Bobby played with the Pirates until 2006 when he was traded to the San Diego Padres.

As a coach, beginning in 2012, Hill led Los Gatos High School to a pair of CCS championships. At Mission, he led the Saints to three Coast titles and four playoff appearances, advancing to the super regionals three times.

"I have every confidence Coach Hill is the right person to return West Valley to an elite level," Vlahos added. "Not only has he had great success on the field, he also has an outstanding track record of moving his student-athletes on to the next level. Dozens of his players have transferred to NCAA division-1 universities on scholarship or have been drafted into the pros."

(Matt Folsom, West Valley College Athletics)