Buchanan baseball coach won four TRAC titles in five years. Here’s why he’s stepping aside

Brad Fontes resigned as the Buchanan High baseball coach this week, a decision that he said was a hard one to make.

“I have some health issues going on starting in December,” he said. “They weren’t too bad, early January and February, but in the last three months they just have gotten progressively worse. It’s something that I need to take care of.”

Fontes didn’t reveal any more specifics but said it’s “fixable.”

Fontes took over as the Buchanan coach for Tom Donald, who resigned in 2019. Fontes finished out that season as the interim head coach, then was later named to take over permanently.

The Bears went on to win the Tri-River Athletic Conference in 2019 and from 2021-2023. The 2020 season was cut short because of the pandemic.

Fontes started as the head at Hoover in 1999. He also spent time at Reedley and Central, according to section historian Bob Barnett.

His overall record is 283-237, including 111-23 at Buchanan, Barnett said.

He led the Bears to a section championship in 2021.

Fontes didn’t share the news of his departure with anyone until this past week. Only his wife and daughter knew about his health situation.

He said the players need a coach who’s available full time.

“I’m not 100%,” he said. “I need to do the right thing, for my family and for the kids in the program. They need somebody out there 100% and be out there with energy.

“I’m just not there right now and I have some stuff I need to figure out and clean up ... clean up and get fixed and it’s just something that, unfortunately, a really tough decision because Buchanan is an amazing place, amazing community and administration and the support and the players and it’s just something that I needed to do.”