Matt LaCour has been named an athletic director, and Jared Halpert will be filling LaCour’s job as baseball program head, Harvard-Westlake announced in a press release Monday morning.
After a nine-year tenure as baseball program head, in which LaCour was named National Coach of the Year by the Baseball Coaches of America (2013) and oversaw four successive Easton Tournament championships, three consecutive Mission League titles (2011-13), a CIF Division I-Southern Section championship in 2013 and a team that was named National Champions by Baseball America and Perfect Game in 2013, LaCour moves from the field to the offices.
“It has been my privilege to be the Harvard-Westlake Baseball Program Head. I’ve had the honor of coaching great players who give everything they have to the ball club and each other; they believe in our program and what it stands for,” LaCour said. “Our school is a unique institution and community; it has inspired me to venture into a new phase of my career as an administrator, which is something I am very excited about. Our baseball program is in a great place, with an outstanding staff and talented players coming through our system. The coaches and players work hard and strive for success, and we have a great new leader to push us forward to even greater heights.”
Halpert began his baseball coaching career as a graduate assistant at Fresno State, where he played his final two seasons of college baseball after transferring from Cal State Northridge. Halpert joined the Harvard-Westlake staff in 2011 and is being promoted from his former position of assistant coach for the varsity team.
Head of Athletics Terry Barnum said he is confident in Halpert’s ability to build upon last year’s results — a 24-6 record and an exit in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs.
“Jared has been instrumental in our baseball success since 2011, and he is ready to become our leader,” Barnum said. “Given his history at our school, the leadership transition will be a smooth one, and Wolverine Baseball will remain an elite program.”
“It is with great honor that I accept this opportunity to lead Harvard-Westlake’s Baseball program,” Halpert said. “Having been a part of the Wolverine Family the last four years, I have grown to love and cherish the institution’s relentless commitment to excellence, both in the classroom and on the field. I am truly excited to maintain the traditions, protect the integrity and guide the future of Harvard-Westlake Baseball.”
“Matt LaCour has elevated Harvard-Westlake Baseball to national prominence in less than a decade,” Barnum said. “His ability to recognize and solve athletic challenges is among the best in the country. He has a wealth of coaching, institutional and programmatic knowledge from which the entire athletic department can benefit. As an Athletic Director, he will be working with all of our coaches to help them further develop their programs and athletes.”
