Two Birmingham Baseball Coaches Announce Resignations

Two Birmingham High baseball coaches said they resigned this week to take jobs at other schools.

Junior varsity coach Rick Zuber told Birmingham Athletic Director Lou Ramirez on Tuesday that he will become varsity coach at Eagle Rock High.

But Ramirez was surprised Wednesday when he was told that varsity Coach David Contreras had accepted a full-time teaching position at Vasquez High, a new school scheduled to open this fall in Acton.

“Who resigned?” Ramirez said when asked to comment. “I’m not sure that’s official, very frankly.”

Contreras said Wednesday he has not notified Birmingham officials but has accepted the new job.

“There’s nothing official yet, because I haven’t done anything official,” Contreras said. “But I was offered a position at Vasquez High and I accepted the position. Sometime this week I’ll go down to Birmingham and hand in my resignation.”

Contreras (30-41-2 in three seasons with the Braves) said he first wanted to break the news to his players, which he did Tuesday. Ramirez said he was not expecting his coach’s resignation but at the same time was not surprised.

“He lives out of the area and I know he would like to be closer to home,” Ramirez said. “He’s been trying to get out of the district for several years.”

Contreras, 33, said he and wife Kirsti are trying to adopt a child and he wants to work closer to home. A Saugus resident, Contreras said his daily commute to Birmingham took 45 minutes--25 minutes more than what it will take to drive to Acton.

He said his coaching plans at Vasquez are vague and he’s not sure how soon the school--which won’t participate in varsity competition for three years--will launch a baseball program. But those details are unimportant, he said.

“As an educator, this is a great move for me,” he said. “Who wouldn’t want to open up a school and maybe be a coach there? But right now, athletics isn’t at the top of the priority list. I’m more interested in helping get the school off the ground.”

Despite being caught off guard by Contreras’ decision, Ramirez said he is confident a new coach can be found on campus.

“We have two or three people on our staff who can handle it,” he said. “I’ve been talking to them and I know we can have one position filled (from) inside. I won’t mention names, but they’re certainly well qualified.”

One likely candidate is Wayne Sink, Contreras’ predecessor.