Kennedy High’s Vacancies Filled by Hiring of Four : Coaches Set for Baseball, Track, Cross-Country, Football

Kennedy High School has hired four new coaches for its baseball, football, track and cross-country programs, according to principal Warren Stephenson.

The new baseball coach is Chris Pascal, 27, formerly an assistant varsity coach at Western High.

A 1976 graduate of Los Alamitos High School, Pascal was an All-Sunset League and All-County first baseman on the Griffins’ league championship teams.

He set the Los Alamitos school record for home runs with five, a mark tied by former All-CIF player Travis Tarchione last season.

Pascal continued his education and baseball career at Long Beach City College as a member of two Viking teams that won Metropolitan Conference titles, and later at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He will teach life sciences at Kennedy.

The Fighting Irish finished in eighth in the Empire League last season with a 2-12 record, 3-17 overall. Pascal replaces Dave Gunn, who accepted a teaching position and assistant football coaching job at Magnolia High School.

Former assistant track coach Pat Ward has been elevated to head coach succeeding Dick Bailey, who gave up his dual role as track and cross-country coach to take a teaching position at Magnolia. Gary Fite, a teacher at Lexington Junior High in Cypress, has been hired to coach cross-country.

In addition, Rex Harrison, a former assistant football and baseball coach at Pacifica, will become an assistant in Coach John Carroll’s football program, as well as assisting Pascal in baseball.