With a new school year under way, I returned to the home of the one-time Trinity Crusaders on Redwood. It is now the proud home of Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep, as the two small but excellent Catholic academic schools have joined forces.

My mission was to personally congratulate the school’s athletic director, Bob Greene, who as the Crusaders’ baseball coach did a remarkable job of coaching last season.

When you think about it, Bob pulled off a miracle. Although his team was short in numbers, they were long in talent and brave hearts.

The Napa Valley Register, in its All-County Baseball selections, considered a pool of athletes from the county’s big three high schools — Napa, Vintage and Justin-Siena — plus St. Helena and Calistoga highs. But the fighting Crusaders did Trinity proud.

Trinity placed two great athletes, Dan Cravalho and Dan Streett, on the All-County nine. In addition, the Crusaders’ John Mendoza made the second team, with Phil Maxson receiving an honorable mention. Quite an accomplishment!

By the way, I’ve seen the two Dans play basketball as well as baseball for their school, and I state without a doubt that these two boys could play and excel on any high school team anywhere in this county, state or nation. Cravalho and Streett are that good!

After my congratulations to coach Greene, I asked Bob where he began coaching. He started in Fairfield in 2003 as an assistant coach in several sports, then on to Wood High School in 2004 and Vallejo High in 2005.

In 2006 Trinity’s former Headmaster Jack Kersting hired Bob for the post of baseball coach and athletic director, a wise choice by an astute headmaster.

Greene mentioned that this year at Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep the school will field a boys soccer team coached by Sal Alvarez, and hopefully a girls soccer team. Boys basketball will also be handled by Alvarez and girls basketball by John Streett after John’s four years as the school’s boys basketball coach.

Bob also mentioned that Jacinta Scheetz from Kolbe would be rounding up and fielding a girls volleyball team. Bob will be back at the helm of the boys baseball team once more. Quite an ambitious program for a small but dynamic school.

Coach Greene turned the questioning around and asked this scribe if I remembered any of my coaches from a time long ago in a place far away.

I did remember and quickly told him that thankfully, all baseball coaches don’t operate the way my first high school baseball coach did.

As a freshman eager to play, I was one of five or six kids who made the jump from grade school to a high school baseball varsity team the first time around. I’ll never forget coach sitting us new kids down on a bench in the gym and telling us what he expected from us.

“If I catch you playing fast-pitch softball in the neighborhood, you’re off the team — that game will throw your timing off and ruin any baseball career you have in mind.” And he went on.

“If a baseball is thrown close, don’t bail out. Tuck your head in, twist your body around and let the ball hit you. A hit batter is as good as a hit or base on balls. When trying to steal a base, or break up a double play, slide with your spikes high, don’t let the shortstop or second baseman think they own second base.

“And I don’t ‘buy’ minor injuries. If you can get yourself to school and hobble through the school’s corridors, I’ll expect you to be ready to play.”

That last directive saw me through my senior season on one good ankle.

Now it was my turn to pose questions back to Bob Greene.

I told him that I’d watched the Crusaders girls basketball team this past season. To say they were overmatched would be putting it mildly. They were young and inexperienced and in the games I saw they had no reserves on the bench to give the starting five a rest.

I told Bob that 73-2 and 65-6 whippings were authored by rival coaches who must have learned at the Atilla the Hun School for ruthless coaches who seemed to enjoy running up scores.

What kind of person would lead his or her team off a court at halftime leading 33-2 and continue a full-court press when the second half of the game began? Enough already!

Bob sighed, agreed and said that fortunately those types of coaches were few and far between. I surely hope so.

Before I left the school grounds, Greene introduced me to the new headmaster of Kolbe Academy & Trinity Prep, Brian Muth. This gentleman will I’m sure do just fine in carrying on a proud school’s great tradition.

Postscript: I would be remiss if I didn’t say a fond farewell to Jack Kersting, Trinity’s former headmaster, who turned in a superb job in his time at the school. Jack Kersting is now principal at St. Appolinaris School, which opens today, and I know that students and parents as well as teachers and staff will soon realize what a wonderful man has arrived in their midst.

God speed and go get ’em, Jack!

Ev Parker writes a weekly column for the Register, publishing each Monday in the Life section. He can be reached at evjenpar@mailbug.com or 224-9956.