PREP BASEBALL NOTES : La Quinta’s Field Named to Honor Coach Demarest

La Quinta’s baseball field was named “Demarest Field” in honor of its coach during a school assembly Friday commemorating the team, Athletic Director Jim Perry said.

Dave Demarest coached the Aztecs to their second consecutive Southern Section Division III championship last Saturday. La Quinta defeated Santa Margarita, 8-4, in eight innings at Anaheim Stadium to become the first county team to win back-to-back section titles. Fountain Valley equaled the feat later that evening with a victory in the Division I game.

“It’s nice to have this kind of honor while you’re still breathing,” said Demarest, 44. He has a record of 408-143-1 in 22 seasons at the school.

La Quinta has won 10 league titles and qualified for the playoffs 19 times under Demarest. The Aztecs captured their first section title last year, beating West Torrance, 3-1. They had lost to Lompoc, 9-2, in the Division 3-A finals in 1979 and to Tustin, 3-2, in the Division III finals in 1993.

“[The honor] caught me off guard,” Demarest said. “It’s been a great run and I’m looking forward to next year. As of right now, I am coming back. I’m going to give it this summer to recharge the batteries and see what happens, but I expect to be back.”

Demarest had hinted at retirement before Saturday’s title game.

“I threatened to call it Demarest Memorial Field if he ever talked about retiring again,” Perry joked.