Langston to Coach Orange Lutheran

Former Angel pitcher Mark Langston will replace John Malmquist as baseball coach at Orange Lutheran High next season, Lancer Athletic Director Jim Kunau said Friday.

Langston, 39, announced his retirement from professional baseball shortly after a bad outing in spring training with the Cleveland Indians.

Malmquist has a career record of 238-114 at Orange Lutheran. He has been in his post for three seasons, and was coach in the late 1980s.

Kunau said he began talking to Langston shortly after Langston returned to Southern California.

“We knew he was interested in coaching high school baseball,” Kunau said. “He’s a good fit for our school. He has strong Christian beliefs. He likes working with kids and he has a lot of knowledge he can pass on to them.”

Langston, a seven-time Gold Glove winner, finished with a 179-158 record and 3.97 earned-run average in 16 seasons with Seattle, Montreal, the Angels, San Diego and Cleveland. He ranks seventh among left-handers with 2,464 strikeouts after leading the American League three times in his first four seasons.