New Summit HS baseball coach has impressive pedigree

A two-time Major League Baseball All-Star is taking over as manager of the Summit High School baseball team. His name is Richie Sexson.

He played as first baseman in the major leagues for 12 years, a few of those years with the Seattle Mariners. And from 1999 to 2006 — the peak of his career — he was 10th in the big leagues in home runs and 12th in runs batted in.

Sexson coached some Little League before coming to Summit as an assistant in 2014. He said while he appreciated the fun of Little League, he wanted something a little more serious.

“It’s all about having fun — picking daisies, chewing seeds,” Sexson said Wednesday. “So I wanted to step up the level of coaching a little bit. I think at the high school level, you’re able to do that. Kids are a little more able to get what you’re laying down.”

Sexson is from Portland and said he moved to Bend for the weather and outdoor activities, which should sound familiar to most people in the area.

He said the best thing about coaching is watching the kids he mentored succeed as they grow older.

“The most rewarding thing for us is to teach them what we know and then watch them move on to the next level,” he said. “So it was really no problem for me to take over the job and help out the kids any way I could.”

Sexson doesn’t see himself leaving Summit High any time soon. He loves his job, loves Central Oregon and wants to stay until his kids, who are currently in elementary school, go off to college.

“You know, I spent enough time when I was playing away from my family,” he said. “So now I’m just going to be a dad and husband and just sit around town and coach these boys.”