Rex Gonzalez, the brother of former Arizona Diamondbacks' star Luis Gonzalez, has been named the head baseball coach at Phoenix Desert Vista High School.
Gonzalez was recommended as the next coach on July
10 and approved on Wednesday, Aug. 5, by the Tempe Union High School District governing board.
"We are excited to welcome Coach Gonzalez to DV and look forward to the leadership and contributions he will bring to DV’s strong baseball program," principal Stacy White said to The Arizona Republic in an email.
Gonzalez's son Chase, a junior, played his first two years at Phoenix Pinnacle. He hit .320 with 27 RBIs in 25 gams last season for the 20-win Pioneers.
Rex Gonzalez founded T-Rex, a youth club baseball program. He served as a volunteer assistant at Pinnacle two seasons ago. That season derailed after 10 seniors quit the team amid controversy. Gonzalez was in the middle of that after he confronted a player in the dugout over a hard hand slap the player gave Gonzalez, the third-base coach, while rounding the bag on a home run.
Gonzalez didn't finish the season with the team. Head coach Sam Messina resigned after the season.
"Unfortunately, in our world, you're going to hear criticism," Gonzalez said. "I managed professionally. I coached professionally. I always tell people if you're in this industry, you're not going to make everybody happy. Some people are going to say bad things about you, whether they're true or not."
Gonzalez follows Pat Herrera, who was suspended in April and dismissed as head coach. Matt Garvy, an assistant, served as interim coach the rest of the season. Herrera led the program since 2021. Desert Vista went 23-9 last season, reaching the 6A double-elimination tournament.
"I'm looking forward to it," Gonzalez said. "I know we've got a good group of kids, great parents. Our administrators have been awesome. Everybody in the school district has been outstanding so far."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rex Gonzalez named new Desert Vista baseball coach
