UTICA, N.Y.— Utica Blue Sox Head Coach Doug Delett announced Chris Amaya on Tuesday as the latest addition to his coaching staff. Delett enters his sixth season with the organization and his third as the Utica bench boss.
Welcome…BACK!
Amaya is no stranger to Utica or the PGCBL. He served as the pitching coach for the then Utica Brewers in the summer of 2013 before making the jump to the head coach role for the Brewers in 2015.
Amaya boasts 20 year of coaching experience all together. The Rancho Cucamonga, CA native has been able to avoid straying too far away from his hometown in the majority of his coaching experience, getting his start as an assistant at Etiwanda HS in 2003. He then made the move to his alma mater of Rancho Cucamonga HS in 2004 as an assistant. In 2007 he became the head coach for the Cougars, in a stint that lasted until 2011.
Following his final year as the skipper for RCHS, Amaya made the jump to the collegiate level to be the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for Citrus College, a community college in Glendora, CA. This was the role Amaya held when coming to Utica for his two seasons with the Brewers. In 2016 he returned to the high school level as an assistant at Summit HS and then Montclair HS. In 2018 he once again returned to Rancho Cucamonga HS as an assistant coach, he still currently serves that role for the Cougars.
The 2022 season in Utica will be Amaya’s fourth in summer collegiate baseball. He was the pitching coach for the the North Adams SteepleCats in 2008, a season that ended in a NECBL Southern Division Championship. In 2012 Amaya spent some time as a coach for the Boston Red Sox Scout Team as well.
Get to Know the “New” Guy
Amaya, a 1998 graduate of Rancho Cucamonga HS, was a three-year starter for the Cougars as a pitcher and catcher amassing two All-Mt. Baldy League selections and an All-Inland Valley selection during his career. He played with the Anaheim Angels scout team as a senior as well.
He went on to attend Cal-Poly Pomona, a DII school in the CCAA Conference. A three-time CCAA Conference Pitcher of the Week, Amaya was tabbed the Pitcher of the Year for the Broncos as a freshman in 1999. After his four years with the program, he left the Broncos with the 10th most pitching appearances in program history. Amaya graduated in 2002 with a B.A. in History.
For Amaya, coaching and teaching have gone hand in hand. He is now in his 20th year as a teacher and has been teaching History and Government at his alma mater of RCHS since the fall of 2003. He is also in his second year as the Assistant Athletic Director for the Cougars athletic department.
Amaya currently resides in his hometown of Rancho Cucamonga, CA with his wife of 18 years, Melany. They have three children, Bret and Colin (17), who are twins and play baseball for the Cougars, and Justin (14) who is a high-level guitar player.
What They Are Saying
Delett on the hiring of Amaya:
“We are excited to get Chris here. He knows a lot about pitching and in our conversations, it seems as if we both see baseball the same way. We are excited to have him joining us.”
Amaya on returning to Utica:
“I am absolutely thrilled to be back coaching in Utica. I am excited to be a Blue Sock under George’s leadership, to see how far the organization has come on and off the field since 2015 is a testament to his leadership and vision. I can’t wait to work alongside Doug and with the players to make 2022 the most successful season in Blue Sox history and bring home a PGCBL Championship for the first time.”
This is the first addition to Delett’s coaching staff for 2022. Delett has led the Blue Sox to a pair of PGCBL division championships in his first two seasons as head coach, 2019 West Division and 2021 Central Division. The Utica-area native has amassed a 54-35 record over his first two years.