Local baseball coach turns loss into legacy

The coronavirus hits close to home for College of the Desert baseball coach Sam DiMatteo. In January, DiMatteo lost his father.

“We were like the crazy dad and kid that were at the field all the time. Some of the times he would want to go to the field more than I would want to go. He did that with me, I’m telling you, from the time I was a little kid until I was playing pro ball,” DiMatteo said.

His friends, family and even some players have rallied around him. They made donations in his father’s honor to DiMatteo’s foundation - the SD Project.

“There’s so much good! There’s just so much good that it kind of overtakes, you know, the initial shock and sadness. It drowns it out a little bit,” DiMatteo said.

The non-profit supports at-risk young athletes with the equipment they need to play. 

“Going after my big dream, I always was more of the underdog and we just always pulled for that,” DiMatteo said.

DiMatteo immediately knew exactly who he wanted these donations to go to… a young Coachella Valley baseball player, who lost his father a year-and-a-half ago. 

“The bestest dad I could ever ask for. He took me probably all the days he could to practice,” said the young boy, Andrew.

“It was just like me and my dad,” DiMatteo said.

"All of the donations you guys sent me as a tribute to my Dad, We donated to Andrew from the Coachella Valley who lost his father a little over a year ago. This will help his mother pay for new equipment and his baseball fees in the future. My dad would have loved this. Thank you guys," DiMatteo wrote on his Instagram.

The young boy - Andrew - calls it a blessing.

“To help me continue my dream!” He said.