Local Retired High School Baseball Coach Jim Ozella Releases Book

Santa Clarita resident and retired William S. Hart High School Baseball Coach Jim Ozella announced his first book was published in the spring. “The Greatest Time to Be a Kid: Stories of Unexpected Adventure” is now available on Amazon.com.
This year, Ozella celebrated 25 years at Hart High, leading the baseball team to nine titles, and eight Major League Baseball players since 2000. Currently, Tyler Glasnow is pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chris Valaika is the hitting coach for the Cleveland Guardians.
“The gateway to Hart Baseball has provided an opportunity for our dedicated student-athletes to reach their academic and baseball goals,” Ozella said. “The tradition built by the efforts of the players certainly has been a proud moment in my career.”
Long before Ozella became a veteran educator and a head coach of more than 40 years — guiding future MLB stars and coaches, Cy Young award winners, and World Series champions — he was a child raised in Ingalls Park, Illinois, where he learned the true meaning of community, friendship, and family. These cherished stories are sometimes sentimental, and always timeless.
“I was blessed by the guidance of loving parents and family to develop while living in the Ingalls Park-Joliet region,” he said. “The book shares my memories of being raised in a loving environment during the 1960s, when our American society moved at a simple pace.”
Ozella completed his final regular season game in the Hart Baseball dugout on April 25 against Canyon High. He had a stellar final season as he guided the Hart team to the school’s second Division II California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section title. He is ready for the next chapter in his retirement, and he reflected on the recent events.
“The spring 2024 season was a whirlwind of excitement for our players, the coaching staff and the school. Winning the Foothill League title, and then marching through the five challenging games of the Division II gauntlet provides the memory of a lifetime for the team and myself,” Ozella said. 
As Ozella settles into retirement, he has plans to continue to share his book and host some signing sessions in the area.
“I’ve been fortunate to get positive feedback. Reminiscing about my childhood was rewarding and nostalgic. Hopefully, readers will enjoy stepping back in time and into a story about youth and baseball.”
Visit Amazon.com to get a copy of “The Greatest Time to Be a Kid: Stories of Unexpected Adventure.”

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