‘To know him was to love him’: Softball community mourns death of coaching legend Jesse Angel

The softball community in the High Desert is mourning the loss of local icon Jesse Angel, a longtime coach who touched the lives of hundreds of players over the last four decades.Angel, a husband, father of four and grandfather to seven, lost a battle to heart disease.

Angel died at 1:05 a.m.

on March 30.

He was 75.

Yvonne Angel is inviting the public to her husband's memorial services, which will be held at 11 a.m.

on May 10 at Calvary Chapel of the High Desert.My phone has been blowing up with many people reaching out, said Yvonne Angel, his wife of 31 years.

So many players telling me that he was just the best coach they ever had in my life.

He cared so much about every one of the kids that came to us.

I want to thank the people in the High Desert for allowing us to be with their children.

We could have had a bad day in our own home, and kids show up for lessons and it changes our attitude.

I am so thankful that the High Desert entrusted their children with us.Born in the Coachella Valley, Jesse Angel grew up with aspirations to be a professional baseball player.

But he served in the Vietnam War after being drafted.

When Jesse Angel returned home, he got back to the ball fields looking for a shot at still playing and attended tryouts.

He came back a bit old but he could still play.

He was so frustrated because he would hit balls out of the park, and the teams would go ahead and sign the pitcher, Yvonne Angel said.

Remembering Hector Cuevas Jr.: A man who simply loved football and serving his communityHe became a teacher and coached the freshman football team at Kolb Middle School in Rialto.

As fate would have it, he was approached about coaching softball.

He was hesitant at first.

I dont know anything about softball, Yvonne Angel said was her husbands response.

The rest is history.

A match made in heavenYvonne Angel graduated from UC Riverside in 1973 and grew up playing softball; however, the school didnt field a softball team until 1976.

Yvonne and Jesse met on the softball field in 1987 as they both coached at UC Riverside from the 1988-93 seasons.A relationship blossomed, and the couple married in 1994.It was a match made in heaven, Yvonne said.

Having the opportunity to coach with him there, coaching little league, travel ball, high school, from Eisenhower to Apple Valley and Hesperia, was the time of my life.

We got a chance to touch so many lives.

We were both very compassionate about what we do and we went all in on coaching softball.

"Jesse was the kind of coach that didnt want his players to just be great on the field he wanted them to be even better people.

To know him was to love himAn avid hunter, fisher and furniture builder, those who knew Jesse Angel describe him as the sweetest man.

Mirannda Rodriguez, a 2022 graduate from Hesperia High School, remembers the Angels working on their kitchen one summer.

Rodriguez and her peers helped pull some money together to help paint the kitchen Yvonnes favorite color.

It was like a blue that almost looked gray, Rodriguez said.

It was such a nice color.

But I remember how much fun we had messing around with the paint, getting all dirty while getting the job done.

Rodriguez knew Jesse Angel wasnt doing well, but the news from her mother of his passing was like a punch to the gut.

To know him was to love him, Rodriguez said.

He was loving, caring, hardworking.

He reminded me of my grandpa.

He was just always there for you if you needed him.

Im thankful to have been coached by him because he believed in not just me, but in every single one of his players.

Jeremy Topete, Hesperia golf head coach, met Jesse Angel in 2016 after taking the softball head coach position.

Topete served as the softball programs head coach from 2017-20.

He had been on the previous staff and he was my first call, Topete said.

We met at my house and sat at my kitchen table.

I showed him my idea of a practice plan then he showed me his practice plan.

There was an agreement to stick with Jesse Angels practice plan.

I just made sure we had buses and vans ready for our games.

After almost every game, we would go eat and have a cold soda while he compiled the stats for the game.

In those moments, talking scheme, personnel, next practice, next game.

Those moments are what I will miss about him.Topete describes Jesse Angel, along with his wife, as integral to the program.

Jesse's wealth of knowledge expanded for decades.

His demeanor was perfect for coaching softball, Topete said.

He had a way to motivate you, be excited for you and push you to a level you didn't even know existed and his body language was always the same.

All of his players loved him and never wanted to let him down.

He really is an icon and legend in the world of softball.

Yoda the slapping coachJesse Angel enjoyed playing mens fastpitch softball.

So much so, he played until he was 65 years old, according to Yvonne Angel.

He found success as a slapper, a left-handed hitter that begins running toward first base as the pitch is delivered, relying on a chopping motion to make contact with the ball.

Anyone that was any good at slapping came through him, Yvonne Angel said.

He was called 'Yoda.' He just loved putting on slapping clinics.

He was a 12-time All-American in fastpitch for his slapping.

Angel took pride in being the only member of his team to record a hit off Mike White, who is currently the head coach for the University of Texas softball team.

That was a big deal for Jesse.

Mike was considered the best pitcher on the planet and Jesse was the only one on his national team that got a hit off him, Yvonne said.

One of Angels best slap hitting projects at UC Riverside led to Deanna Dresmann being inducted into the schools Hall of Fame.

According to the Press Enterprise, Dresmann hit for a .209 average as a freshman.

Jesse Angel pitched the idea to Dresmann, a right-handed hitter, to become a left-handed slap hitter.

My first reaction was, Why would he do that? Dresmann told the Press Enterprise.

I'm not that bad of a right-handed hitter.

Maybe I didn't have this huge batting average, but come on, you know I can hit the ball.

I have a good swing.

I thought, whats wrong? Jesse Angel promised Dresmann, who was clocked at 2.6 seconds running from home to first base, that she would see a .100 increase in her batting average.

I approached Deanna mainly because of her speed, Jesse Angel told the Press Enterprise.

She wasn't going to help us hitting .209.

I didn't see great things in her future batting right-handed.

So I told her I'd teach her how to bunt and slap left-handed.Dresmann went on to set a program record with a .544 batting average and .583 on base percentage, 59 runs and 78 stolen bases and received All-American honors.

UC Riverside inducted Dresmann into the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Angels SandlotSince 1995, Jesse and Yvonne Angel have owned and operated Angels Sandlot in Hesperia.

The couple turned their home into a one-stop shop for softball training lessons.

Business will continue to operate with Yvonne Angel and two employees keeping the training sessions going strong.

Jesse Angel spent his last weeks between the hospital and at home, watching his wife instruct the kids.

Angels Sandlot wasnt about monetary profits for the couple.

That was evident through the student work program.

Kids could work for their lessons.

Some of them helped out with the younger kids with their lessons, Yvonne Angel said.

Some of them would help out in the yard, clean up our softball area and get ready for the next day.

They built nets and pitching platforms.

We even had kids coming into the house and doing their homework and getting help from the older kids.Some of them helped build our fence, pour concrete, make sidewalks, paint our little softball shed, or whatever project we were working on at the time.

When we did camps and clinics, the older kids would come and work with us.

They were able to use that as work experience on their profile sheets for college.

They just wanted to be involved and we wanted them there.Yvonne Angel said their household had an open-door policy.

If the garage was open, anyone and everyone was welcome.

She remembers kids entering through the garage, heading straight to the kitchen and grabbing something to eat before heading to the back yard.

So many of them would spend more time here than they did at their home.

Parents were OK with it because they knew where they were, Yvonne Angel said.

The kids and their success meant so much to us.

One of the biggest rewards is the kids that came through our backyard, went off to college, graduated, became successful people and are now bringing their children to us for batting lessons.

What a great reward for us.This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Jesse Angel remembered as High Desert softball coaching icon.

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