Valencia Baseball Will Have A Familiar Face At The Helm This Season With The Promotion Of Former Assistant Coach Tim Pennell

The longtime coaching veteran will look to put the Vikings back on top after being handed the keys to the program he knows very well.

Newly appointed head coach Tim Pennell is entering his ninth season with the Vikings after eight years as an assistant through two separate stints.

Pennell began his coaching career with the Vikings back in 2013 and spent three total seasons with them before taking a job as the JV Head Coach for Saugus High Baseball.

The former Fresno State Bulldog would go on to win three league titles during his brief time at Saugus before returning to Valencia for the 2021 season and has remained there ever since.

The Vikings finished fourth in the Foothill League last season after a solid 15-13-1 campaign. However, their above-.500 season turned sour after their rivals, the newly named Hart Hawks, went 26-5 on the year and ended up winning the CIF-SS Division-2 championship in addition to a league title.

The 12-time league champs will have some catching up to do if they want to compete for number 13 this upcoming season and will look to their incoming seniors along with coach Pennell to take them to the top.

Some notable returning players for the Vikings include senior righty pitcher and outfielder Noah Jaquez, who finished the year with a 2.59 ERA through 24.1 innings and retired 20 batters.

The dual-threat also hit .307 on the season with 23 hits and was one of three juniors to hit a homer for the Vikings last season.

Another name to look out for is senior infielder Lincoln Hunt who averaged .266 at the plate to go along with 21 hits and one homer. Both players were named to the All-Foothill League second team last season.

The experience from coach Pennell paired up with the flurry of returning talent for the Vikings has created some optimism for the program as they look to reclaim dominance over their fellow Foothill League teams.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .