Paly varsity softball assistant coach George Fangonilo will take over for head varsity coach Danny Valencia, who submitted his resignation on Monday.

The news came as a shock to athletic director Earl Hansen and Fangonilo, as the softball tryouts had already begun.

“There was no warning; it was sudden,” Hansen said. “We found out on Monday [the first day of tryouts].”

According to Hansen and Fangonilo, reasons for Valencia’s resignation are health related and nothing more.

Valencia had been with Paly five years, coaching the JV team for two years and the varsity team for three years.

Fangonilo also has significant coaching experience. He was assistant coach then head coach during his three year career with Mountain View High School’s varsity softball team. All three years he was on the coaching staff, the team made the Central Coast Sectionals (CCS) playoffs. This is his third year with the Paly team.

Aside from coaching high school ball, Fangonilo also coaches the Strike Zone team. Strike Zone plays in the Junior Olympic 18 and Under Gold Softball Division. JO Gold is part of the American Softball Association (ASA).

“JO Gold are club teams at the level where everyone is being recruited by colleges,” Fangonilo said.

According to Fangonilo, the Strike Zone has its own facility, containing batting cages, where the team practices.

Helping Fangonilo out this season is Fel Yacap, an experienced baseball player and coach. Before Paly, he coached two years of West Valley Junior College baseball.

The players that have been with Valencia throughout the years are sad to see him leave.

“It’s sad that he’s not here anymore, because he said he would be,” senior Elena Stillerman said. “It would’ve been nice to finish out senior year with him, but I think George will take us really far.”

While Stillerman has played under Valencia’s guidance since her sophomore year, newer members of the team are saddened to see him leave as well.

“Danny was a great coach,” sophomore Nikki Remmel said. “We’re still going to do well. They [Valencia and Fangonilo] both know a lot about the game.”

Paly players say they are optimistic about their season because they are being left with a strong coach, but, according to Fangonilo, the season is going to be different now that he is taking over.

Fangonilo said that practices will be shorter and more organized. He also wants to stress the importance of situations, meaning the team will work more on bunt situations and running the bases than they have before.

Not only will the Paly players be playing with a different coach, they will be playing a different mental game.

“We really want to bring an aggressive game to the field,” Fangonilo said.