Glaus out as coach, Fontes returns to Buchanan High baseball
CLOVIS, Calif. – The Buchanan High School administration announced Monday that the school is parting ways with former major league baseball player and first-year head baseball coach Troy Glaus, and that former Buchanan head baseball coach Brad Fontes will be taking over on an interim basis for the rest of the season.
A statement provided to YourCentralValley.com from Clovis Unified established that “Buchanan athletics and Coach Glaus parted amicably with an eye to the program’s future.”
“We wish Coach Glaus well in his future endeavors and thank him for his work on behalf of Buchanan baseball,” said Buchanan Principal Omar Hemaidan in that same statement. “I’m pleased Coach Fontes has agreed to step in and support the team through this transition and lend his high caliber experience to our students to finish the season.”
The statement said students learned the news from coaches and administrators at the school Monday, and parents will be notified directly Monday afternoon of plans for the remainder of Buchanan’s season.
Glaus, a former World Series MVP who played 13 years in the big leagues, was hired in August to take over the tradition-rich Buchanan program.
He took over for Fontes, who stepped down a few months earlier saying he needed to focus his energy on some health issues.
Glaus did not have any head coaching experience at the high school level when he was hired by the Bears, but had served as a high school assistant for four years in Florida, and had been training players in the San Diego area in recent years.
A number of players transferred to other schools from Buchanan before this season, and as of Monday, the Bears were only 9-14 overall, and only 2-7 in the ultra-competitive Tri-River Athletic Conference (TRAC).
Before stepping away in early June, Fontes had led the Bears as head coach for the previous five seasons, and won four TRAC championships and one Central Section Championship (Division I, 2021) in that time.
