After the departure of Rob Smith, Emery had a vacancy for baseball manager. That has since been filled by incoming skipper Chase Julian.
Born and raised in Carbon County, baseball was always a passion for Julian. He grew up playing American Legion as well as for the Dinos from 2003-06. After high school, he continued his baseball career with the Eagles, then of College of Eastern Utah, where he pitched and played shortstop.
After hanging up his cleats, Julian began pursuing another passion: coaching. Julian has helped coach baseball and basketball over the years. In fact, his last stint with the Spartans was as an assistant under Jeff Cisneros. That will give him a leg up for this new position as he will already be familiar with several players.
“I love coaching, ever since I was given the opportunity to coach,” said Julian. “I love working with these kids. It’s just a blast.”
He then expanded on the aspects of coaching he enjoys the most. “Interacting with the kids is the funniest part of it all. Seeing the kids when they’re working so hard and things pay off for them. It’s satisfying as a coach when they do the things that you’ve taught them and it works out for them.”
Julian has been keeping an eye on the Spartans’ baseball program over the years and knows his job is not to start the ship, but to keep it moving in a forward direction. “First of all, Rob did a great job building a program. I’m excited to take over where he was at and keep building on it.”
With that being said, Julian will add his own flavor to the mix as he emphasized his three top priorities: exuding a competitive nature, being fundamentally sound and working hard. “[Here are] some goals. I’m a very competitive person and I don’t like to lose. I’d like to bring that respectful, competitive nature to Emery High.” He continued, “[Then] teaching the kids the fundamentals and get them ready and prepared, if they are, for the next level, and working hard.”
While Julian has not yet named his assistant coaches, it has been heavy on his mind. He is currently looking for individuals that share those three “core values,” as he likes to call them. With several months left until the season’s first pitch, there is a lot left to sort out, but Julian is eyeing that time with great anticipation.
“Taking over this program, there’s a great bunch of kids that are there and have a great future coming up,” Julian concluded. “I’m excited to work with the kids and it will be a great opportunity.”