There are many things that make the 2007 Spokane RiverHawks a baseball team to be proud of. Not the least of which is the tremendous coaching staff that leads the team. Joining head coaches Steve Hertz and Barry Matthews this year are some of the most talented assistant coaches in the area.
Sam Hess
is a native of Spokane and was an All-State 4A catcher at Mead before moving on to play at the College of Southern Idaho for a season before returning to his hometown to play for Gonzaga. As both a starting catcher and a leading hitter Hess led the Bulldogs for three years on both sides of the plate, but Gonzaga wasn’t the only place where he found baseball success.
Hess also has more than his share of experience with the WCCBL. Hess has played for the Wenatchee Apple Sox where he earned second team All-League honors and helped the team to a Division championship. Hess also played for the Aloha Knights team that finished fifth at the 2002 NBC World Series and earned NBC World Series All-American honors in the process.
Joining Hess as RiverHawks’ assistant coach will be Brad Welker. Welker is also a former Bulldog and played under Coach Hertz. Originally from Kirkland, Welker moved to Missoula to finish high school before returning to Washington to play for the Bulldogs, where he spent his entire collegiate career.
After graduating from Gonzaga, Welker went on to earn Masters’ Degree from East Central University before becoming a coach at Seminole State. While at Seminole State, Welker helped recruit 19 players who eventually went on to play professionally. After two years at Seminole State, Welker continued his coaching career at Dallas Baptist University before returning to Spokane and the RiverHawks.
Joining Hess and Welker in the assistant coaching ranks this year will be Gonzaga senior
Aaron McGuinness. McGuinness has played and started in every Gonzaga game since he joined the team as a freshman. The shortstop came to Gonzaga from La Crescenta, CA where he earned All-Pacific League honors all four years he played high school baseball.
In 2003, Hertz turned the reigns over to Mark Machtolf, but his involvement with Spokane baseball was far from over. Hertz remained on at Gonzaga as the director of athletic relations, and was instrumental in the realization of the new Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field.
See you at the game!
Steve Hertz Hertz has worn many hats throughout the course of his career. And every one of them has been a baseball hat. For more than three decades, baseball players and fans in
Spokane have benefited from Hertz’s lifetime dedication to the sport. This year, Hertz returns as General Manager and co-Head Coach of the Spokane RiverHawks, and his experience will be the driving force of the team’s success.
Although his name has become synonymous with baseball in Spokane, Hertz’s career started in the outskirts of Los Angeles where he grew up. After a successful high school career, Hertz played at Pierce College in Los Angeles before transferring to Gonzaga as a sophomore. Hertz
pitched for the Bulldogs for
three years, and developed a love for the school and the community that would grow into a lifelong commitment.
After graduation, Hertz realized his dream of playing in the majors and signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Twins in 1972. He played three seasons of professional ball before trading his playing hat in for a coaching one. He returned home and began coaching high school
baseball in L.A. before returning to Gonzaga as an assistant coach. After two seasons wearing the hat of an assistant coach, the Bulldogs named Hertz head coach. That hat fit so well that he wore it for 24 seasons. Under that hat, Hertz won five conference Coach of the Year honors, guided 30 players into the ranks of professional baseball, and amassed a 637-627-6 record – making him the winningest coach in Bulldog history.
In 2003, Hertz turned the reigns over to Mark Machtolf, but his involvement with Spokane baseball was far from over. Hertz remained on at Gonzaga as the director of athletic relations, and was instrumental in the realization of the new Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field.
Hertz also wasn’t ready to leave coaching behind completely. So, last year he once again put on the familiar hat as coach of the RiverHawks, a hat he continues to wear this year. A hat Hertz will continue to wear, he says, “As long as it fits my head.”
Fans of all types are welcome and encouraged to come cheer on your Spokane Riverhawks!
See you at the game!
Barry Matthews
Barry Matthews might not have the decades of baseball experience that belong to his coaching partner, Steve Hertz, but
Matthews has quickly established himself as a dedicated authority in the baseball community of the Inland Northwest. That dedication and authority will be taken to a new level in 2007 when Matthews rises from an assistant coach to share the reigns as head coach of the Spokane RiverHawks with Hertz. It’s a position Matthews is definitely prepared for.
Like Hertz and RiverHawks’ owner Irv Zakheim, Matthews’ playing days began in Los Angeles. After high school, Matthews went to California State University at Northridge, where Zakheim played his college baseball. Matthews redshirted his freshmen year before transferring to Pierce College – the same place where Hertz started his collegiate career.
And, like Hertz, Matthews played one season at Pierce before transferring to Gonzaga.
Matthews spent three seasons playing for the Bulldogs where he split time between roles as starting pitcher, designated hitter and outfielder. During his time with Gonzaga, Matthews received two First Team All-Conference selections, was named a NCBWA Second Team All-American and Baseball America’s Third Team All-American.
After graduating from Gonzaga, Matthews took his baseball skills to the Detroit Tigers organization. Matthews played two years in the minor leagues where he earned a Florida State Pitcher of the Week Award. From there, Matthews turned his attention from playing to coaching. He returned to the community that captured his heart while he played for the Bulldogs. After coaching at Medical Lake High School, Matthews was recruited as the strength and pitching coach for the Community Colleges of Spokane.
Between CCS, the RiverHawks, and the countless programs around the area that Matthews organizes and participates in, there’s little doubt that he is leaving a prominent mark on baseball and Spokane.
Marnie Rorholm A native of Spokane, Marnie Rorholm earned her undergraduate degree from Santa Clara University. After college, Rorholm pursued a career in advertising, before moving on to obtain her MBA from Gonzaga University. She then spent 14 years working for the university. Although she’s always had an appreciation for baseball, Rorholm said that it was brought to a new level when she married former EWU catcher Mike Rorholm. Together, they are passing on their love of baseball to a new generation as Rorholm’s children, Eric and Gunnar, begin their Little League careers.
“Baseball is a way of life for our family. From encouraging the kids, to spending family nights out at the ball park, baseball is one place where we all connect,” Rorholm said. “I know it’s the same for a lot of families in this area, and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of an organization dedicated to promoting the family aspect of baseball in the Spokane area.”
Although it might not feel much like baseball season outside, Rorholm has already begun making preparations for the RiverHawks’ June 13th season opener on the road against Moses Lake, as well as the June 23rd home opener at Avista Stadium. She said she wants RiverHawks’ fans to come away from every game with one thing – “We want to make sure that the fans have fun at every game. That’s going to be my mission.”
