Kris Mims is now the interim baseball coach at Mountain View High. He replaces Dan Demuth who was appointed as coach in August, succeeding Zeph Zinsman.
"Our coach (Demuth) had major back surgery before the season and it was a personal decision to step down," Mountain View athletic director Shelley Smith said. "We're fortunate we have someone in the community to step in and be the interim until the end of the season.
"I like Kris; he's a good guy and is knowledgeable and has great experience. Unfortunately we've had a lot of turnover in this program; it's been crazy. But at some point it will stabilize. I look at it as a glass half full situation."
Mountain View is also seeking a boys' and girls' varsity basketball coach.
Regarding baseball, Mims said: "I just got appointed head coach yesterday. It was my first official day."
Added Mims: "Not an ideal situation coming in so late in the year, but something I will definitely run with."
Mountain View has won two games, lost nine and tied one this season.
Demuth, the Spartans' frosh soph coach the previous three years, said he wanted to bring continuity to the program when he was hired.
“I want to bring stability,” Demuth told the Los Altos Town Crier in September. “I hope to build one cohesive program from freshman to senior.”
Mims played at Los Altos High, De Anza College and Menlo College. He was an assistant varsity coach at Mountain View in 2006 and in 2007 was the pitching coach at Los Altos. He also coached the JV team at Los Altos in 2007 and 2008.
Mims started the Brushback Baseball Club in 2011 with a 13U team. The program now has five teams and has won 35 USSSA Championships including several top five finishes in Cooperstown, Desert Fall Classic and Extreme Baseball World Series.
Also, Mims coached the Silver Creek High baseball team in 2013 and 2014, going a combined 28-25 at a school that had won only a combined 15 games in the two previous seasons.
Regarding basketball, The Mountain View boys' team went 4-20 last season under Jim Forthoffer. The girls' team went 19-6 under Judith Auclair.
Said Smith of Forthoffer: "He's a knowledgeable coach who's been around a long time. Sometimes change is good and he decided it was necessary (to step away) and we accept that. We have some excellent candidates and I think it will be a positive all the way around."
Smith said Auclair decided before the season to retire and then went out with a near-20 win season.
"She went out with a bang and it was fun to watch," Smith said. "The program is in good shape with some underclassmen talent and it will be a great job for somebody."
