Dean Stotz retires

Wow! A stunner, but then again, it is a brutal business and Stanford (fairly or not) got included out of the NCAAs last year.

Glad to learn he will still be involved in the Stanford Camps. But I expect things will be a little different with him not also being a coach and recruiting coordinator.

For all those families who had the chance to participate in a Stanford Camp under Stotzie while he was a coach, we sure were lucky, weren't we!!  For others, still a chance to grab some baseball wisdom at a Camp from the semi-retired Oracle of Sunken Diamond

He's a good man who has been very good to our family.  I wish him the best and hope to see him around the ballpark in coming seasons.

If its Ryan Garko as the new assistant, that is great for Stanford baseball IMO.  Ryan is legendary on The Farm as one of the best team "leaders" to have ever played there.

Sad to see him leave! Coach Stotz helped our family with the process more than any other person.He will be missed.

Wow someone has some big shoes to fill.

Although my son, in the end did, not receive an offer to Stanford, Coach Stotz was one of the most classy guys he dealt with during his recruiting process. Class act, as well as a great character and a very funny guy. He will surely be missed at Stanford as well as college baseball as a whole. My hope is that he still stays active, maybe like Tommy Lasorta did in pro-ball. 

Over the years we had the pleasure of seeing Dean Stotz many times.  He is a legend in my book.  Great guy, great recruiter, great coach And very innovative.  I remember him laughing about my description of a player he was trying to recruit many years ago.  I told him the kid was a "Freak of Nature". He successfully recruited that kid who played both baseball and football at Stanford.  In a subsequent conversation he laughed and said that was the perfect description for the kid.

We are going to miss him at PG events.  I hope he enjoys his retirement, but somehow I can't imagine him staying too far away from baseball.  He is definitely one of the good guys.

Coach Stotz is one of the all time great college baseball coaches.  Great guy, I consider myself fortunate to have gotten to know him a bit.  Of all the coaches I've known, I consider him to be probably the best recruiter of all.  I hope he enjoys retirement greatly.

During my son's recruiting process some of the best emails he received were from Coach Stotz!

People complain about coaches being hard to reach or not returning phone calls.  I know from first hand experience that this coach would answer his phone - even if he never heard of you before.  And when you did talk to him, he had wonderful advice.  How many coaches out there can say that?

One of the good guys in college baseball. The Stanford Camp determined the direction of my son's baseball career, and for that we will be forever grateful to Coach Stotz. When my son accepted his offer, Stotz sent him a very nice email congratulating him. 

A class act, a funny and approachable guy. Would answer his own phone at Stanford. 

Good luck to him.

Coach Stotz's emails to my son were all great.Very informative and well written.It didn't matter that there was never any real interest, since the content of those emails were very helpful to my son.

I watched him speak to the players and parents at the Futures Camp in 2012 and the All Star Camp this past summer.A captivating performance and one that I personally will never forget.

At the 2012 Futures Camp I was watching my son hit in the cages.Coach Stotz comes up to me and says " I can't believe you are wearing that jersey at my camp, which one is your son" ? For a second I froze and did not know what to do.Then I reluctantly pointed at my son.Coach Stotz then smiled and said "don't worry I won't hold it against your son, now go up to the table and buy yourself a Stanford hat" ! Haha !

I was wearing an Arizona State Baseball jersey and hat !  LOL !

Coach Stotz is one cool dude

One of the best things about the college recruiting process is that it introduces you to some wonderful people along the way. Coach Stotz is one of the more memorable ones; someone who has had a positive influence on so many who have known him.

Here's wishing him the very best as he opens the next chapter.

Come to think of it, it was in Coach Stotz's office that I learned one of my most valuable lessons as a baseball parent.

During July between my son's junior and senior years of high school, we took an unofficial visit  to Stanford. After touring the campus and facilities, my son, Coach Stotz, and I ended up in his office for a conversation that lasted about an hour.

During our conversation, the very plain-spoken Coach Stotz challenged my son on a number of fronts. He asked some tough questions about both his academic preparation and his commitment to baseball. He told my son flat-out that, if he came there, he'd have no life outside of baseball and the classroom.

As I listened to my son's responses, I realized that a transformation had taken place; and, it had everything to do with what the recruiting process had taught him to that point. If that discussion had taken place a year earlier, Coach Stotz's examination might have flustered and intimidated him. However, the regular communications with coaches, the persistent attention to what colleges were like, wanted, and expected had systematically prepared him to sit there calmly and field the questions comfortably. He understood where Coach Stotz was coming from and wasn't the least bit put off by what he served up to him.

Meanwhile, I sat there in stunned silence; grateful that the process had prepared him in the way that it had. ...and that's why I ( along with so many others here) regularly preach the virtues of the player assuming the lion's share of the responsibility for his recruitment.

Thank you, Coach Stotz, for revealing that as clearly as you did.

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This reminded me of a good Coach Stotz story relating to our younger son.

When my son accepted his offer, Stotz sent him a very nice email congratulating him.

Since we had a good relationship with Coach Stotz from our older son and Stanford was showing some interest in our younger son, my wife in particular talked to him regularly.  After our younger son committed to another Pac12 school, my wife called Coach Stotz to tell him.

His response?  "Well, there's just one problem with that...now we'll have to face him."

What a classy response!

He followed that up with one of the classiest emails to our younger son that I ever saw from a college coach. 

I don't know Coach Stotz. I have corresponded with him. He strongly encouraged me to send my son to Stanford camp. It was a little pricey, but I agreed. Then Stanford baseball expressed interest in my son, so we exchanged email & applications. In the end, Stanford baseball ended their 'interest' and my son attended Dartmouth. On graduation day I sent Coach Stotz an email thanking him, because if he had not been so persuasive I would not have sent my son to the Stanford camp, and my son would not have been recruited to Dartmouth. Coach Stotz returned a very nice email in reply. Indirectly, Dean Stotz helped my son get recruited and admitted into a very high quality school - and those dividends are still paying out.

Coach Stotz would come to a camp here in NJ every winter. He was always a favorite of the kids because of his warm and funny personality and his willingness to give encouragment and advice to every kid.

He always liked my son's swing and every year he would make comments about him. One time coach asked him about his grades. My son's answer was a very respectful "don't even bother coach". Coach Stotz chuckled and thanked him for his honesty.

I wish him a happy and long retirement.

These are great stories about Coach Stotz!  I haven't met him personally, but he let us know via email that it was a difficult decision (my son is a 2015), had something to do with a milestone birthday (he turned 60 recently), and that he would still be engaged with running the camps.  He smoothly transitioned to Ryan Garko, who sent a followup email a couple of days later.  It sounds positive, especially in that Coach Stotz will remain connected to baseball and to the institution he is so associated with.  Thanks to all for sharing the Stotz stories.

I just remembered a funny story about Coach Stotz at the Stanford Camp. He had all the campers and parents gather after everyone had checked in. Every player was registered, measured, weighed and given their jersey. He started his speech something like this..."Welcome all, I see that some of you arrived here on the Jenny Craig flight, when you got on the plane you were 6' 3" 195 lbs. and now you're 5'10"  165 lbs.".

Coach Stotz is IMHO the best of the best in college baseball. Glad to hear he will still be involved in the camps!

baseballlife - As a Stanford alum, former player parent and fan, I am so happy that they have hired Ryan Garko as the new coach.  I don't know Ryan (he preceded my son by a year or two), but the stories from other parents and players about Ryan and his leadership skills are AWESOME!  He is a legend inside Stanford baseball.

Stories similar to ones I've heard about Prepster's son inside the UNC program...now at Va. Tech.

I think kids that get a chance to play on Coach Garko's team will most likely have a VERY great and enriching experience.

Just as everyone has stated above, Coach Stotz is the best in the college baseball recruiting business.  There is NO ONE like him with regards to communication (emails) and answering all inquiries (with his own office phone!). I am glad he is still going to be involved with camps as his presence and wit is something to behold. The Stanford Futures and Stanford Camp paved the way for my son's eventual college destination.

We wish Coach Stotz the best in his retirement and would like to thank him for the opportunity he afforded my son during his recruiting process.