Garza Named Baseball Volunteer Assistant Coach
6/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 22, 2005
HOUSTON - Jorge Garza, former head coach at Lamar Senior High School, was named the University of Houston's volunteer assistant baseball coach, head coach Rayner Noble announced Wednesday.
In his new role, Garza will assist with hitting and infield defense as the newest member of Noble's coaching staff.
Garza, whose first name is pronounced George, was an award-winning prep head coach at Lamar Senior High for seven seasons. After taking over the reins in August 1998, he built a program which earned three District championships (2005, 2004, 2002) and five Bi-District crowns (2000-04) while compiling an impressive 158-57 record during his tenure.
He was named the District 17-5A Coach of the Year as well as Coach of the Year by the Houston Athletic Committee in 2002 after guiding the Redskins to the District 17-5A championship and a Bi-District title.
Two years later, he was recognized as the District Coach of the Year and received a similar honor from the Houston Athletic Committee as the Redskins captured the 2004 District 18-5A crown and the Bi-District championship.
It was Garza's coaching experience and success at the high school level that appealed to Noble.
"The main thing that Jorge brings is head coaching experience at the high school level. He knows kids and understands what makes them tick," Noble said. "Also, he has solid relationships with area high school coaches, and we hope that will bolster our recruiting efforts." I n addition to his coaching duties, Garza served as an English teacher at Lamar Senior High.
He joined the staff at Lamar Senior High in August 1997 as an assistant coach and helped lead the team to the 1998 District championship and a Bi-District title during his first season with the program.
Prior to joining Lamar Senior High, Garza began his professional coaching career at his high school alma mater, Houston's Robert E. Lee Senior High School, in January 1994. He served as an assistant coach with the varsity baseball team and helped lead the school to back-to-back Bi-District championships in 1995 and 1996.
In May 1998, he served as the head coach of the Alief Diamondbacks, a semi-pro/college league that featured a mixture of area-college players who traveled and competed around southwest Texas.
He graduated from Texas Tech in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in English and finished his academic career with honors, earning places on the Dean's List in the spring and summer of 1994.
He is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association, Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association and the Houston Area Baseball Coaches Association.
Garza is single and has three children: Sarah, Jake and Kathryn. He lives in Houston.