Joseph Ponce has had coaching in his plans for a long time. Growing up playing football and baseball all the way through high school, it was around that time when he knew that he wanted to coach one of the two sports.

“Ever since I was 17,” Ponce said, “I decided that teaching and coaching is what I wanted to do with my life.”

Ponce, who is now the head baseball coach at St. Mary's, didn’t really grow up with a father figure in high school, as his stepfather died when he was 14 years old. He wanted to become a coach because he wanted to be a father figure to his players like his coaches were to him in high school.

“Playing football and baseball in high school really made me latch onto my high school coaches to fill that father figure void, to teach me how to do thing sthe right way, to be on time, to have high character and to work hard in everything I do,” Ponce said.

He wants to have the same impact on his players that his coaches had on him, even if it’s just a few of them. In the midst of turning the St. Mary’s baseball program around and making them a perennial state title contender, the 30-year-old Ponce emphasizes his commitment to his work.

“It’s a 12-month thing,” Ponce said.

During the long offseason, including the summertime, Ponce always has his players practicing and lifting weights. He works long and hard hours during the season and during the offseason. Even during holidays he’s thinking about his players, checking in on their health, talking to them about fundraising events, and he’s constantly organizing deals for facilities for in-season and offseason training.

Outside of baseball, family is a top priority for Ponce, and he tries not to let baseball take away from spending time with them. In the midst of his very busy schedule, he is constantly traveling back to California to visit his extended family and spend as much time with them as he can.

His family members are big baseball fans, and he talks a lot about baseball with them when he visits for holidays and special occurrences. All of his close friends in Arizona are also baseball and football coaches, so it’s rare that Ponce avoids a conversation about baseball or coaching in his free time.

At a certain point he thought that he wanted to coach baseball in college but “as soon as I became the head coach at St. Mary’s, I knew this was the place for me,” Ponce said.

He acknowledges that it takes a lot more time and dedication to coach in college and he prefers remaining on the high school scene. He’s “living my dream being with these kids,” he said.

Ponce’s players are very comfortable with him and many will come to his office at the school to talk about their academic and personal problems. Last year, for example, one of his players needed a job and he walked him through the process and helped him land a part-time gig. He has also written job recommendations for former players because he formed such a tight bond with them.

He emphasizes building special relationships with his players and being able to help them through any issues they come across. He also stays in touch with several of his past players, mainly using social media platforms.

Third-year assistant coach Aaron Rideao enjoys Ponce’s enthusiasm and is one of his biggest supporters.

“I think he’s great for our program, for our student-athletes,” Rideao said, adding that “the kids relate to him really well."

First-year assistant coach Kyle Schuster, who turned to coaching after blowing out his shoulder as a player, came to St. Mary’s because of Ponce’s special coaching style.

“He talks to [the players] like they’re men,” Schuster said.

He added that Ponce is hard on them because he wants the best for them and wants to prepare them for the real world after high school. St. Mary’s alumnus and current assistant coach Cody Berumen also spoke highly of what Ponce has done with the program, turning it around and making the team a perennial state title contender.

“[Ponce] has really taught me how to coach,” Berumen said, adding that “he really cares … you can tell he was invested in the program from day one."