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Antich named new South Medford coach By Greg Stiles Ever since Steve Antich was a high school baseball player at Grants Pass High he looked forward to the day he could develop his own program. That moment has arrived for the 30-year-old South Medford biology teacher, who has coached the Panthers� junior varsity squad the past two springs. With Pete Whisler returning to Oregon Tech to coach the Owls next year, South Medford had a void and Antich seized the opportunity. "An SOC job is especially a big deal to me and something I�ve been working toward," Antich says. South Medford finished 11-13 overall and 8-6 in conference, missing out on the state playoffs when it dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Roseburg on the final day of the season. "We only lose two kids � Matt (Skundrick) and Jimmie Maddox � to graduation," Antich says. "We have a good core from a team that had opportunities to do big things. We�re going to try to build on what we did the first part of the year and go from there. "We�re going to have high expectations and set the bar high. We want to be better ballplayers when we walk on to the field for tryouts than we are right now." This summer, Antich will coach the Medford Colts American Legion team that feeds the Medford Mustangs. He hopes to build a tradition that will attract young kids and looks forward to the day when youngsters can�t wait until its their turn to wear a South Medford uniform. "At Newark (Memorial High), I did some camps where the varsity kids took part with the younger kids," Antich says. "I remember how it was at Grants Pass and how I knew I wanted to be part of that program when I was a kid." Antich�s first coaching experience came during his high school days when he piloted a Little League team. Shortly after finishing up at UC-Davis, Antich landed a job as an assistant coach at Newark Memorial High in the Bay Area. "I started building and preparing to come back to the SOC," says the 1989 Grants Pass graduate. "When I was down in the Bay Area, I got to listen to people like Dusty Baker and learned a lot. I feel I�m ready." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4483, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.