Bill Piona
Coach Piona was at the helm of Monte Vista Baseball for 31 years, and in those years he coached some of the finest baseball players and in some of the biggest games in the East Bay. Countless athletes under Coach Piona’s tutelage have gone on to the collegiate ranks as well as a large representative group who have gone on to play professionally. This includes two who have made it to the Major Leagues.
Coach Piona had well over 500 wins at Monte Vista. He established what Mustang baseball is all about and his teams focused on good pitching and defense, being fundamentally sound, and they didn’t beat themselves. This was truly the hallmark of his teams. Coach always pushed his players to be their best scheduled the best competition in the area with the expectation to win. This competitive nature and and drive to win taught his players how to succeed on the field but also off of it. Bill was the backbone of Monte Vista Baseball and he made his school a respected and formidable team in Northern California.
Brett Thomas, former MV and Cal Bear catcher stated, “I learned what it meant to compete from Bill Piona not just on the field but in life”. He and others have gone on to say, “To know Coach Piona’s real worth as a baseball coach is to know him as a man following your time playing for him. He has done so much for all of us, he is one the most loyal people I’ve ever known. He would do anything for his players (current, past, or future)”. Coach Piona built the Monte Vista Baseball program into something that all of us are very proud of and honored to have been a part of.