Bryn Wade of Murrieta Mesa is the L.A. Times baseball coach of the year

Qualifying for the Southern Section baseball playoffs for the first time in school history and then winning the first CIF title in school history in the same year explains all you probably need to know about the Times’ coach of the year, Bryn Wade of Murrieta Mesa.

But there’s much more. The 40-year-old, second-year coach gave his players the green light to run. They had 103 stolen bases.

He gave them the green light to bunt. They had 25 sacrifices.

He used multiple pitchers during games, insisting he wanted to be “fair” and let his players “own their moment.”

Murrieta Mesa went from finishing in last place in the Southwestern League last season to going 27-7 and winning the Division 1 championship with a 3-2, 10-inning win over Studio City Harvard-Westlake at San Manuel Stadium.

Wade could be seen talking to fans in the stands during games. He says it helped him calm his nerves.

He gave high-fives to his players. He was unafraid to make changes at a moment’s notice, such as pulling a starter in the middle of an inning.

“I love him to death,” said Zac Filos, a pitcher and third baseman. “He’s like a second father to us.”

Wade, a cousin of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, used lessons from Robinson to model his coaching.

“I grew up with stories about him,” he said. “I had so many great coaches, and they had their own personal ways about them.”

Wade wasn’t prepared to reflect on his team’s accomplishment after the final out, but he said, “It means the world.”

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: @latsondheimer