Coach Ruben Corral joins Ralph Grajeda and the Vanguard staff in 2010, bringing a 16-year professional history of playing, coaching and teaching the game of baseball to Vanguard University. Corral will serve as the Pitching Coach for Head Coach Ralph Grajeda. This is Coach Corral's second tour of duty as Coach Grajeda's pitching coach, as they coached together at JSerra Catholic High School in 2006.
"Hiring an experienced and quality pitching coach was imperative for this program," Grajeda states. "Landing ?Rube' was like landing a key recruit."
Corral played baseball at Arroyo High School and was drafted in the 10th round (294th overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993, and played four seasons with the organization. Throughout his playing and coaching career, Corral has taught at numerous baseball camps, tutored private lessons and has been involved in several coach's clinics throughout the United States. He also helps run the Capo Cats Baseball Club, a highly respected travel baseball organization focusing on development, work ethic and responsibility. Coach Corral draws from knowledge he gained from his former coaches, including current San Diego Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley and former Oakland A's and New York Mets pitching coach Rick Petersen.
"The ability to share the knowledge I gained from those coaches with my students is priceless," Corral says. "They've gone on to success coaching the best pitchers in baseball with a stylized approach to mechanics, mental toughness and work ethic. My goal at Vanguard is to teach these young men the artistry of being a pitcher, proper work ethic, and accountability."
Corral's coaching resume includes notable coaching positions at Capo Valley High School from 2000-2001, where CVHS won two straight CIF championships, and Junipero Serra Catholic High School, where he helped baseball program grow from its founding in 2002 as a Division VII school, to a winning Division I program by 2007.
