Head coach for Arlington Heights High School Baseball Steve Jimenez recently earned his 300th career victory.
The monumental win for the coach came on March 15 when the Yellowjackets beat Saginaw by a score of 7-5 in the first district game of the season.
In recognition of his accomplishments, current and former members of the AHHS Yellowjackets baseball team, which Jimenez has coached since 2016, gathered to surprise him with a ceremony honoring his career.
The AHHS Athletic Booster Club gifted Jimenez with a commemorative plaque celebrating his achievement.
“The first thing I think of, other than the wins, is what a class guy [he is] and how he’s done things right for so many years,” said AHHS Athletics Director Phil Young of Jimenez. “We’ve had many talks about what it’s like and how it has changed over thirty years: the kids, the facilities. What has not changed is his work ethic and his program.”
In a tweet announcing his hiring as the AHHS baseball head coach in 2016, Jimenez explained his coaching philosophy.
“I believe that success in all areas of life can be achieved by focusing on three basic areas,” wrote Jimenez. “Control what you are able to control, commit to making your team and yourself better every day, and be willing to compete and work to achieve your goals. When a baseball player applies these principles to his life, both on and off the field, success tends to follow.”
Jimenez has been a coach in the Fort Worth Independent School District for 32 years. All 300 victories came while he was coaching for FWISD baseball teams.
“Coach Jimenez exemplifies so many of the great things happening at Fort Worth ISD,” said FWISD Board of Trustees member C.J. Evans. “We are so thankful for his leadership and dedication to our students.”
In addition to coaching Arlington Heights, Jimenez has also coached North Side, South Hills, and Western Hills High Schools. He got his start in coaching at Monnig Middle School.
Jimenez is a graduate of Western Hills High School and was a pitcher for TCU and Navarro College. He earned his B.S. in Secondary Education at TCU in 1990 before beginning his coaching career.
The Western Hills High School alumnus returned to the campus as a coach in the early 2000s, leading the team to win the 4A State Championship in 2001.
David Maroul was one of the players from the 2001 team that came out to honor Jimenez. After winning the State Championship, Maroul played for the University of Texas at Austin, where he was named the 2005 College World Series Most Outstanding Player and had his likeness depicted on the cover of the video game MVP 06: NCAA Baseball.
“Coach Jimenez, I’m so proud of you to come up here and get the 300th win,” Maroul said.
Jimenez said that while getting 300 wins is an exciting accomplishment, he does not plan on calling it quits yet.
“I’m going to keep plugging away for a little while longer, yes I will,” the coach said.
