Baseball: Mike Killinger is named Valencia’s coach

You can take away the interim title from Mike Killinger, who has been named Valencia’s baseball coach, Athletic Director Brian Stiman said Wednesday.

Killinger took over for Jared Snyder on March 21 when Snyder took a leave of absence while the district investigated an allegation of financial impropiety. The school decided to open up the position, conducted an interview and chose Killinger, who had been an assistant coach in the program.

Valencia came close to upsetting No. 1-seeded JSerra on Tuesday in the Division 1 playoffs, losing in eight innings, 6-5. Killinger received praise for his calm demeanor in handling players and parents.