La Reina Finds Hyatt Accommodating

If Don Hyatt is so smart, how did he wind up with this job?

Hyatt is athletic director at La Reina High, an all-girls Catholic school with an enrollment of fewer than 400. Yet judging by the workload, you’d think he was head of athletic affairs under the dome at Notre Dame.

Hyatt’s office phone rings ceaselessly, and the number of messages on his answering machine sometimes is overwhelming. There is maintenance of facilities to arrange, committees to oversee, sundry responsibilities to handle.

His salary admittedly is less than lucrative, his list of chores never-ending. And his staff is so small, Hyatt also serves as varsity softball and volleyball coach.

Hyatt knew being A.D. at a tiny school would mean being a Jack-of-all-trades. But was coaching a group of girls ever in the cards?

“If you would have asked me 10 or 15 years ago where I would wind up, I never would have said ‘Small, private, Catholic girls’ school,’ ” Hyatt said. “But I’d have to struggle to find the negative side of it. The advantage we have is, we don’t have to take second seat to the football team. We don’t have to share anything. I love this.”

Especially these days. Today at 2:30, La Reina (24-5) will play Cerritos Valley Christian (16-4) for the Southern Section Division V softball championship at Mayfair Park in Lynwood. Valley Christian defeated La Reina in last year’s semifinals en route to winning the championship.

The Regents, Tri-Valley League champions, are vying for their first section championship since posting consecutive titles in 1991 and ’92. Since Hyatt became coach in 1986, La Reina has won seven league titles, advanced to the quarterfinals eight times, the semifinals five times and the final three times. Hyatt’s record is 194-63.

Postseason dividends have made the long hours worthwhile and earned Hyatt respect. Hyatt has been selected league coach of the year five times. And members of Hyatt’s regency are fiercely loyal to their coach.

“He is such a good guy and he is such a good coach,” said shortstop Shane Anderson, who has signed with Stanford. “He’s not out here for the fame or glory. He’s out here because he cares about each person on the team.”

“The guy is just a phenomenal coach,” said Bob Sisco, Hyatt’s assistant and the school’s former athletic director. “He’s a master technician at baserunning and he’s an outstanding outfield coach. He’s been able to infuse a little bit of baseball technique into softball.”

Baseball was Hyatt’s long suit long before he had his first glance at fast-pitch softball.

A graduate of Hart High in 1971, Hyatt, 42, a scrappy 5-foot-7 middle infielder, played for College of the Canyons and earned All-Western State Conference honors. He landed a scholarship to Cal Lutheran and continued to play until the dream of playing professionally died.

Hyatt quickly turned to coaching and launched the men’s and women’s volleyball programs at Cal Lutheran, where he continued to serve until being hired at La Reina in 1980.

When the school needed a softball coach, Hyatt characteristically answered the call. He did the same last fall to fill a coaching void in volleyball. Hyatt stepped in and led the Regents to a 23-4 record and a trip to the section quarterfinals.

“I was always a team captain or something that lent itself to helping out,” Hyatt said. “I like to be involved.”

Initially, Hyatt wasn’t sure how well he would fare coaching softball. “It was a test those first couple of years,” Hyatt said. “A lot of it was [learning] on the fly. I really didn’t see much softball growing up.”

Hyatt might just as easily have put his baseball knowledge to use by shopping for a coaching position at a local high school.

“Everybody asked, ‘What are you doing?’ ” Hyatt said. “But I didn’t see it as a negative. I didn’t get a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t know if I like softball more [than baseball]. It’s just that I think it is the focus point right now.”

Hyatt has tinkered with the Regents’ make-up, repositioning players, even turning right-handed batters into left-handers. Right fielder Sarah Heiler, whom Hyatt convinced to hit from the left side to capitalize on her speed, has become an effective slap hitter and leads the team with a .467 batting average.

“I like the aspect of getting that raw talent and molding it,” Hyatt said. “The girls come in with much less background [than boys]. By the time boys get to a high school coach, a lot of them think they know everything. I have very few situations like that.”

Yet he seemingly always will have calls to answer. Win, lose or draw today, Hyatt figures to have a brief respite.

“When I’m finished here, I start getting kids ready for volleyball,” Hyatt said. “There’s always something to do next.”