Palm Desert renames baseball field after longtime Aztec coach, Darol Salazar
After a historic 36-year run at Palm Desert serving as the head baseball coach and Athletic Director, the Aztecs renamed its baseball field after Darol Salazar on Saturday morning.
"It's a special moment for me and I wanted to share it with the guys who made it happen," said Salazar. "It goes by fast, it goes so fast and you know you're always caught up in the moment and then when it's done you can kind of look back and relax and enjoy some of the things you accomplished."
⚾️🔴🟡 SALAZAR FIELD ⚾️🔴🟡
— Blake Arthur (@BlakeArthur24) February 11, 2023
How do you get a field named after you? Coach for 36 years, win 685 games, 21 league titles & 2 CIF championships.
Congrats to Darol Salazar! Enjoy retirement!@PDHS_Athletics @pdhsalumni @pdhsofficial @KESQ @BaileyKESQ @burchamlite @PDAztecsports pic.twitter.com/AFmRuY22Mv
Salazar started on Cook street in 1986 and finished with 689 wins and 21 league titles.
"He knew his players. I remember 2010 was the first championship he won. I was a junior along with a bunch of guys who came out and were here today and that says a lot about who he was as a coach that so many guys came back out for this occasion," said alum Scotty Burcham. "He just always knew how to get the best out every player he had."
"It's been an honor. Coach Salazar is a legend," said Palm Desert's current baseball coach and Athletic Director Estevan Valencia. "He made Palm Desert baseball what it is. Him and his staff set a standard not just for Palm Desert high school but for everybody in the Coachella Valley. We all had to get better to compete with Palm Desert."
