BOUNTIFUL — Viewmont High enjoys a rich baseball tradition, but there are always ways to make improvements. The Vikings turned to one of their own to make a good thing even better.
Former Major League pitcher and Centerville resident Kelly Downs is ready to start his second year as an assistant coach for Viewmont.
"It's kind of a payback for all the help I received growing up. I also coached my son's 14-year-old team," Downs said.
A pitching coach with Downs' credentials is hard to find. He and St. George native Bruce Hurst are the only two Utahns in recent history who pitched in the Major League. Both played for teams that made it to the World Series.
Downs wants some of the players to start taking the game seriously. "We've got about five kids right now who could play college baseball," he said.
To get a headstart, players have been participating in a mini winter camp indoors at an airport hangar in Woods Cross. "It's off-campus and the kids pay a fee. We've been working out four days a week since January. We have a batting cage and the pitchers have been throwing — getting their arms ready," he said.
Tryouts for the high school team were last Monday.
Downs wants his pitchers to work hard to become strong physically and mentally. "I consider myself a hard worker so I expect them to work hard as well," he said. "Coach (Roger) Farnsworth has a great rapport with the kids, and I'm just trying to support what he's doing with the team."
Professional baseball was a way of life for Downs after graduating from Viewmont in 1979. He ended up spending eight years in the Major League. "Like they say, it's the hardest thing in the world to get there and even harder to stay there," he said.
Downs grew up in Bountiful and played basketball and baseball for the Vikings. Viewmont reached the state championship game his senior year where the team lost to Granger. "I didn't get to pitch in the championship game, though. I guess it wasn't my turn in the rotation," he said.
Downs signed with the Philadelphia Phillies organization out of high school. "I had signed a letter-of-intent to play at BYU, but the Phillies came back and improved their offer," he said.
After working in the minor leagues, the Phillies traded Downs to San Francisco in 1985. To make room for Downs, the Giants released pitching legend Steve Carlton. "I idolized Steve Carlton as a kid and met him when I was in the sixth grade," Downs said.
During the '80s, Downs enjoyed some great years with the Giants and was part of the starting rotation where he won more than 50 percent of his games. The Giants played in the 1989 World Series. After a shoulder injury in 1987 he learned a pitch that helped him prolong his Major League career, a pitch he can pass on to his young students — the split-finger fastball.
Viewmont was among the top 5A teams last year and should be strong again this season. It always helps to have a Major Leaguer on your side.