Comings and Goings Among South Bay Coaches : Mary Star: Frank Ponce De Leon resigns as baseball coach after six seasons. He will be replaced by Ray Estrada.

Frank Ponce De Leon resigned Tuesday as Mary Star High’s baseball coach and has been replaced by Ray Estrada, who served as an assistant and co-coach for the Stars during the past six seasons.

“I’ve been thinking about it for the past year,” said Ponce De Leon, who guided Mary Star to an 88-52 record and two league titles in six seasons. “I want to dedicate more time to my wife and two kids.”

Ponce De Leon said it became increasingly difficult to spend time with his family because of the demands of his coaching position and his night job as a longshoreman.

“Sometimes it felt like I was living in a hotel,” he said.

Ponce De Leon said he might want to return to coaching after a year or two. He has fond memories of his years at Mary Star. The Stars reached the playoffs five times under Ponce De Leon, a graduate of the San Pedro Catholic school.

“I love this place,” he said. “This is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.”

Estrada, a 1980 San Pedro High graduate, was Ponce De Leon’s top assistant for five seasons at Mary Star before being promoted to co-coach this year.