Ex-Falcon Mosley hired as Fairfield baseball coach

FAIRFIELD — Several years after being passed over for the job, Will Mosley is set to take the reigns as Fairfield High’s new baseball coach.

A former Fairfield standout, Mosley played for the Falcons his sophomore and junior years before moving to Vacaville and spending his senior year at Vanden. He graduated in 1995.

“I went to the interview and I didn’t get it, and I was a little bummed,” Mosley said. “It was always in the back of my mind. I knew I wanted to go after it if it ever came up again.”

On Tuesday, Mosley officially got his wish.

“It’s cool because as a young person going through the program you always say, ‘If I was in charge, this is what I would change,’ ” Mosley said.

Now he gets the chance to make those changes.

“It’s really a dream job,” Mosley said. “Getting the chance to take over is a great feeling.”

Looking to the spring and having a rough idea of what players should be back, including ace left-hander Anthony Arias, who recently signed his letter of intent to play at Fresno State, Mosley said he’s excited about the possibilities.

Especially with Fairfield returning to the Solano County Athletic Conference, Mosley said he feels like the Falcons can make some noise.

“I really think we’ll make a run at it,” he said, noting that big challenges await with Benicia and Vanden in the league. “With the arms that we have, it’s going to be fun. We’re definitely going to compete.”

Mosley was set to meet with the team for the first time on Thursday.

“I don’t know how it’s going to play out,” he said. “But on paper we do look pretty formidable on the mound.”

Mosley also said he hopes to help Fairfield athletic director and former Vanden classmate Eddie Wilson rebuild the athletic programs at Fairfield after years of declining enrollment and repeated threats of canceling sports by the district.

“He’s one of the best coaching minds around hands down,” Mosley said of his friend. “It’s amazing to see what he has in store for the program over there. A lot of people have (written) Fairfield off. . . . It’s going to be fun to try to build up the athletic program and to do it with someone like Eddie. Our goals are aligned.”

For Wilson, the former Falcons boys basketball coach and current assistant at Solano Community College, hiring his friend was less about friendship and more about baseball.

“I don’t know that that played too big a role beyond him knowing the job was available,” Wilson said. “I think the thing that stood out more than anything is that he’s got a very impressive baseball resume as player and, more importantly, as a coach.”

Mosley has coached at the high school level as well as in numerous summer baseball programs and he played at the NCAA Division I level at the University of Missouri.

Currently, Mosley runs his own baseball training center, Maximum Elevation, in Cordelia.

“He’s been where we want our kids to go,” Wilson said. “I just think that his experience and his resume just stood out. We had a couple really good applicants. We would have been comfortable going a couple different ways.”

But hiring Mosley gave Fairfield almost everything the school was looking for.

“It gives us instant credibility,” Wilson said. “I’m really excited about him picking up and taking off from here.”

Mosley was on Wilson’s bench for several years as an assistant coach, giving Wilson a clear picture of what he’d bring to the table as a coach.

“The professional experience – the thing I respect most about Will is that he’s a great communicator,” Wilson said. “He’s able to build relationships with all kinds of people.”

Mosley’s attitude and steadiness are a huge boot to his players, too, Wilson added.

“For me, a lot of times, he was a buffer,” Wilson said. “He’s able to uplift people. He’s an eternal optimist and he makes you feel good and you want to respond for him.”

Wilson also said he trusts Mosley to do the right things with the baseball program.

“He’s always been a promoter of the student-athlete,” Wilson said. “He understands the fact that academics are paramount and he’ll help guys understand that, demand that they’re good students and demand that they’re quality people.”

Mosley and Wilson both acknowledged that the baseball program has hit a rough patch in recent years. After competing for the Monticello Empire League title for several years, the Falcons struggled to a 5-16 record last season and were 4-17 in 2011.

“He’s got a lot of work to do. There are deficiencies with the program such as finances and academics,” Wilson said. “He’s an achiever. He’s always been able to overcome obstacles. He’s been a winner at all levels.”

Reach Mike Corpos at 427-6979, or mcorpos@dailyrepublic.net. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mcorposdr.