Carrero served as a varsity assistant and head Middle School coach in 2026; Interim coach Josh Porter will become Director of Baseball
SUN VALLEY, Calif. – Village Christian has elevated Eric Carrero to Head Varsity Baseball Coach as part of a program restructuring, the school has announced.
Carrero, who served as an assistant varsity coach during the 2026 season as well as the head coach of the Middle School program, will now take the helm, while interim head coach Josh Porter will serve as the Director of Baseball.
The Crusaders are six-time league champions (2000, 2002, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) and three-time CIF-Southern Section Division championship finalists, reaching the title game in 1990, 2014, and 2024.
“We have a tremendous legacy of success here at Village Christian School, and we are driven to re-establish VCS Baseball as one of the area’s elite baseball destinations,” said Athletic Director Diana Putignano.
Porter, who took over as interim head coach midseason in 2026, has been named the Director of Baseball, where he will continue to provide valuable leadership, mentorship, and spiritual guidance for our players and coaches.
Meanwhile, Carrero, a former High School coach at Harvard-Westlake and Bishop Alemany and a current coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers High School Scout Team, will serve as the primary baseball voice on the field.
“I am super excited to be leading the program and to make this a place where potential Crusaders hear how great the culture is and how players excel on and off the field,” Carrero said. “My mission is to ensure that the baseball program puts an emphasis on character development, respect, humility, and playing for a higher purpose. I want baseball to teach these guys how to be better students, sons, brothers, grandkids, and to be leaders in this world.”
A former catcher himself, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year at Bethesda University and Great Southwest Athletic Conference Gold Glove Finalist also serves as a manager for Knights Knation Southern California and a Lead Baseball Instructor for CORE Prep Academy.
He has previous travel ball experience with Legacy Baseball Group, Garciaparra Baseball Group, and Baseball Central, as well as collegiate-level coaching with the South Bay Saints and Ventura County Pirates summer team.
“Coach Carrero’s playing and coaching experience combined with his continued growth within the program this year are a blessing, and we are excited for his further investment into our student-athletes’ development,” Putignano said.
Longtime assistant coach Emilio Cruz, who has been a stabilizing influence for the last six years and was a central figure in taking VCS to the 2024 CIF-SS Division 6 finals, will continue to play a vital role on the staff.
As students head into summer, the program is currently in the midst of adding assistant coaches and kicking off its summer training regimen.
“These decisions come with extensive prayer, research, and consultation,” Putignano said. “The stewardship of our student-athletes and their goals within the sport is not something we take lightly, and after an extensive process that yielded some truly great candidates. We could not be more excited for the future of this program and a revitalized energy on the diamond.”