As the Head Coach of the Wildcats, Dave Robertson was no stranger to championship environments. After a successful high school career in Lebanon, Oregon, Robertson would receive a scholarship to play baseball at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. While at Linfield, Robertson had the opportunity to play for Hall of Fame Coach, Ad Rutschman, grandfather of All Star Catcher Adley Rutschman. Under his tutelage, Robertson would develop a respect for fundamentals and discipline, qualities that would be instilled into his future teams. In addition, he would learn first-hand what it took to develop a championship culture. In 1971, his freshmen year at Linfield, the Wildcats would win the NAIA World Series. This championship would further fuel Robertson’s passion for playing in big games.
After concluding his career at Linfield, Robertson would accept a coaching position at Taft College and stay with the Cougars for 5 years from 1975 to 1979. Under his guidance, the Cougars would continually improve every year, culminating with a 15-5 conference record in 1979, the best season for the Cougars since 1964. The team’s success would earn Coach Robertson Conference Coach of the Year for the ‘79 season.
Shortly after the 1979 season, Robertson would start his career at Taft High, beginning a successful 29-year career. Right from the beginning, Robertson would begin to create his championship culture. In his first 10 seasons as the Head Coach of the Wildcats, his teams would win five SSL titles, advance to the Valley Championship twice, and only have double digit losses in two of those seasons. As dominant as the Wildcat teams of the ‘80s were, the decades to follow would be just as dominate. When Coach’s career was all said and done, he would compile a 456-301-1 record with 10 SSL titles, 8 Valley Championship appearances, and currently ranks in the top 10 of the Central Section’s all time win list. Not to mention the Bakersfield Californian Coach of the Year honors in 2004.
As great as Coach’s teams were, the teams he strived to play were equally as impressive. Robertson’s teams were never afraid of schools much larger and he often would seek out high quality competition. This would also be extended to his postseason appearances. You would be hard pressed to find a coach that faced more Big League talent in the postseason. Starting in 1983 in the Valley Championship game against Washington Union, the Wildcats would face Dennis Springer, who would go on to play 7 years in the big leagues. As if that alone would not be impressive enough, Robertson would also regularly face future big leaguers in the ‘90s. In 1994, the Wildcats would narrowly lose the Valley Championship 2-1 to Yosemite behind the arms of Ted Lily and Jay Spurgeon. As the saying goes, “There’s no rest for the weary”. The following year in ‘95, Robertson would face even more high-quality talent. In the semifinal playoff game vs. Selma, the Wildcats would beat Jaime Cerda, to reach the valley championship. However, the next game was even tougher. In the championship game vs. Exeter, Robertson would narrowly lose Valley to Adam Pettyjohn and Jerome Robertson. Robertson would eventually go on to be a finalist for Rookie of the Year in 2004. In addition to the numerous big leaguers Robertson would face, it’s difficult to quantify the exact number of future minor leaguers, successful collegiate players, and stand out high school players Coach Robertson would face throughout his career.
Despite playing tons of high-quality talent over the years, the talent Robertson produced was just as impressive. As the Head Coach of the Wildcats, he would produce professional athletes, high level collegiate athletes, MVPs, and most importantly, many high quality people. When I look around in this room, I see many people here that Robertson coached. Just looking at our current coaches, I see Coach Day, Coach Houghton, Coach Parsons, Coach Les, myself, and even Dougie!
Please join me in a round of applause for the all-time win leader at Taft Union High School, Coach Dave Robertson.
Hall of Fame
Class of 2024
Dave Robertson
Head Coach | 1981 -2011
Sam Arrington
Class of 1979
To be considered one of the best of all time, there are many characteristics a potential Hall of Famer needs to possess. For one, they needed to have individual success as a Wildcat. Two, they need to have had success beyond the high school ranks. Finally, and most importantly, they need to have led their team to success. What you did individually is not enough. Instead, it’s the impact you had around you that truly puts a player into that next level. In Sam Arrington’s case, he checked off every box.
As a high school player, Sam possessed a reputation that proceeded him. As a 6-4, 225 pound righthander in his junior season, the Midway Driller and Bakersfield Californian would quite often point to his physical size and hard fastball. However, Sam was more than just hype on the diamond. He would regularly back up the hype with dominating results.
During Arrington’s career, the Wildcats were no stranger to stepping up to the moment. In his junior season, the season started very optimistically. The Wildcats would beat longtime rivals, Bakersfield High School to kick off the season. They would then go onto split with eventual Valley Champs, West High, tie with East High and split with South; all quality baseball schools. However, turbulence would begin to hit the Wildcats in the Delano Spring Break Tournament. After being eliminated by Redwood high school, the Wildcats would go through hot and cold spells. However, as a true ace, Arrington would rise to the occasion on the mound every time he got the opportunity. This included back-to-back shut outs of Shafter and Garces in a matter of five days. However, his most noteworthy performances would come in the home stretch of league. At the time, there was only one playoff bracket unlike the current 6 division format. That meant that only the top two teams in league would make playoffs, regardless of school size. Making the playoffs was an accomplishment of itself. However, sporting a 4-5 record and being a couple games out of second place, the Wildcats would need their ace to lead the way. As you would expect, Sam would do just that. Starting with a win over Garces on May 3rd, the ‘Cats would win 4 straight to force a season finale, win-or-go-home against Garces. Unfortunately for the Rams, the ‘Cats would fire on all cylinders and go on to win 21-4, earning them a place in the 1978 Central Section playoffs. However, their late season magic would run out against West High School, who would go onto win the Valley Championship. Despite the loss in playoffs, Arrington would earn several post season accolades for his performance on the mound. Sporting a 6-2 record with a .98 ERA, Arrington would be named to the 1st team SSL and MVP of the Wildcats.
Although the post season accolades and earned birth into the playoffs, a big goal was still not realized, an SSL championship. Coalinga would be crowned the SSL winners of the ‘78 season and Arrington was determined to have the Wildcats as the champions of the ‘79 season. However, instead of just talking about it, in true Taft form, Sam began to put in the work. Shortly after the ‘78 season, Arrington would begin playing on the Taft Merchants County League for the entirety of the summer. The experience of playing in such a high-quality league comprised of current and ex collegiate and pro players would set the tone for his future success.
Going into the ‘79 season, the Wildcats were optimistic about their chances of an SSL title. They returned 10 players, including all-leaguer Greg Coker and Sam Arrington. However, the Wildcats were not the only optimistic team about their chances. Quoted in the Bakersfield Californian, Garces Head Coach Philip Clarke claimed, “If our pitching comes through, we’ll be right on top (of league)”. Despite the confidence, Garces would have another tough time again trying to beat the big right arm of Sam Arrington.
Unlike the ‘78 season, Arrington and the Wildcats wouldn’t have the same types of ups and downs as the previous season. However, the wins never came easy, especially against Garces. Going into their first game against the Rams in league, all eyes were on the matchup between the two best arms in the SSL, Vince Sakowski vs. Sam Arrington. A future Stanford Cardinal, Sakowski was no slouch. Although he was regarded as one of the best hitters in the Valley, he was known to be a great pitcher also.
On April 6th, it would take 9 innings to declare a winner. Tied up 1-1 in the 9th, both pitchers were on their game. Sakowski with 9 Ks and 4 hits allowed, only outmatched by Arrington’s 14 Ks. However, the game would end in a chaotic fashion, only fitting for such a battle. With Greg Coker on third and Keith Oliver at the plate, Oliver would raise his hand to the umpire and ask for time. Despite the request, the umpire would not grant the timeout. This caused miscommunication between Sakowski and his catcher, causing a wild pitch and Coker scoring the winning run. The dramatic walk off finish only further fueled the rivalry. Nearly one month later in a rematch at Garces, the Rams would return the favor and walk off Arrington and the ‘Cats in a 6-5 finish. This would cause a three-way tie in first and create a fierceness in the Wildcats that would spell disaster for their competition.
Going into the last round of league, the Wildcats knew they would have to be perfect to win the league title for the first time since 1973. However, no one said it was going to be easy. All within one game of first place were Taft, Coalinga, Wasco, and Garces. With the similarities in records, one key difference separated the Wildcats from their competition: heart. The Wildcats would come back to win in the last inning of every single game in the last round of league. However, the most impressive game would come in the season finale. With a championship on the line, the Wildcats would take on the Rams at Monty Reedy Field. Just like the other two matchups, it would take extra innings to determine the winner. In true ace fashion, Arrington would put together his strongest outing of the year when the team needed him the most. Going the distance, Arrington would strike out 15 and only walk two intentionally. On the other side of the diamond, Sakowski would be dealt another loss from Arrington, despite another superb outing. The win would earn the Wildcats the South Sequioa League title and a first round home game against perennial small school power, Dos Palos. The Wildcats would make quick business of the Broncos to the tune of a 14-6 beating. However, the next game would be much tougher. With the glaring differences in school sizes, the Wildcats would hit the road and face Mt. Whitney. Coming off a dominating performance against Garces, Arrington would do the same against the Pioneers, throwing a complete game with 0 unearned runs, giving up 3 hits, and striking out 8. However, four errors in the 3rd inning would lead to 2 unearned runs, which eventually would lead to a 2-1 Pioneers win.
Although the heartbreaking loss in playoffs to Mt. Whitney, Arrington’s year long success was glaring. He led the league in nearly every single pitching category: 7 wins, 106 strikeouts, a 1.07 ERA, and 61.1 innings pitched. Sam’s dominance didn’t go unnoticed. Nearly a week after his season concluded, he would be drafted in the 4th round of the MLB draft. Sam still stands as the 5th highest drafted high school player in Kern County history. Despite being recruited by schools such as Fresno State and Oklahoma State, Sam would decide to sign his professional career. Shortly after signing his professional contract, Arrington would be assigned to Rookie Ball with the Twins, where he would spend the rest of the 1979 season. However, the next season is when Sam’s stock would dramatically increase. After starting the season in Rookie Ball, he would be promoted to A Ball and then finish the season in high A with the Visalia Oaks. With the Visalia Oaks is where his dominance would turn heads of the Twin’s front office. In 168 innings, Arrington would go 12-7 with a 3.64 ERA. Very impressive. Impressive enough, in fact, that his success would earn him an invite to big league camp for the 1982 season. During his time with the Twins in big league spring training, Arrington would make it past the first cut before being assigned back to minor league spring training. From spring training, Arrington would be assigned to AA with the Orlando Twins and then reassigned back to the Visalia Oaks where he continued his dominance of the Cal League with another 12-7 record. Shortly after the 1983 season, Arrington would retire due to arm problems.
When it was all said and done, Arrington put together a fine baseball careers,. Not only did he display his own individual dominance, but he was able to lead by example for the betterment of his team. Sam, you stand as a role model for all past, current and future Wildcats. We appreciate your contributions on and off the field. Congratulations and thank you for representing our community to the highest of standards.
Les Clark
Class of 1961
Les developed a love for ball at a young age. However, growing up on the Twisselman Ranch as the son of a cowboy, the distance from town didn’t make it easy for Les to play as much as he wished. Unable to afford the gas into town, he would have to wait until Babe Ruth to play competitive ball. However, once Clark was given the opportunity to play competitively, he hit the ground running. Under the tutelage of Coach Monty Reedy, Clark and the ‘61 Wildcats would have a great year finishing second in the South Yosemite League to the North Stars. This was no easy feat considering the SYL consisted of all large schools and would be comparable to playing in the current South Yosemite River League of Liberty, Stockdale, Centennial, Frontier, and Garces. However, Clark’s individual accolades were equally impressive as his teams. He was named most improved by his team and was also selected to the All-SYL Team, which is no easy feat.
Upon graduation, Les would go on to Taft College where he was the ASB President and played three sports (football, basketball, and baseball). Although he was recruited by the likes of CSU Northridge and Santa Barbara, he chose to attend Fresno State to play baseball. However, after a successful Fall at Fresno State competing against the likes of Tom Seaver, Les decided to come back to Taft due to financial difficulties of paying for school. Despite this fact, Les would ultimately earn his B.A. in Education and a minor in Industrial Technology in 1970.
Now back in Taft, Les dove head first into playing and coaching. It was not uncommon for him to be playing ball every single night of the week in the summer either in the Kern County Baseball League or a local fastpitch softball league. Started in 1902, the Kern County Baseball League featured some of the best baseball players in the area. During the 60s and 70s, it was not uncommon to see many ex professional players and current collegiate stand-outs competing against each other. With a league so competitive, making the All-Star team was no easy feat. However, Les was talented enough to make the All-Star team several times including in the summer of ‘61 following his high school graduation and in 1968. The 1968 team, in particular, was extremely talented. In addition to Les, the team featured Steve Ontiveros who played in the big leagues from 1973 to 1980 with the Giants and the Cubs. The ‘68 All-Star team would go on to beat the likes of Fresno and Los Angeles. Not only did Les play in the Kern County Baseball League, he also managed many of the teams he played on with the Taft Merchants.
In addition to playing baseball in the summers, Les coached and played competitive men’s fastpitch throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s with several successful teams. The most successful would be on Toppers, arguably one of the best West Side softball teams of all time. Throughout the 60s, Toppers would win several league titles which put a large bullseye on their backs. It was not uncommon for games against Toppers to get extremely fierce with rowdy crowds rooting for their defeat. One of their biggest rivals was White Elephant, led by ball players such as Harold Wagner and Leroy Woods. Although the games often went back and forth, Toppers usually got the upper hand. One of the reasons for their dominance was Les’ ability to recruit and manage. He was known to have an eye for spotting young talent and coaching them up to reach their potential with Toppers, the Belridge Oilers,11-C Market, and C&C Trophy (to name a few of his teams).
In the early 70s, Les decided to take another step forward in the West Side ball scene by taking over management of all baseball and softball for the West Side Recreation & Park District from Tom O’Brien. Under his guidance, league participation boomed. Men’s fastpitch grew to five divisions (A,B,C, D, and Church League), women’s fastpitch grew to two divisions, the Taft Merchants county league baseball team continued to compete in a notoriously tough league, and Ponytail softball was created. Not to mention that Les served as the head coach for Taft College’s baseball program for two seasons while also working full time for Belridge Oil, officiating football games with the Kern County Officials Association (which he would eventually be inducted into their Hall of Fame), and being a father and husband. There must be more than 24 hours in a day for Les.
Les would also coach many youth teams throughout his life. He was very active in coaching Ponytail softball, Little League baseball, and high school summer baseball. In addition, he made many contributions to the community through his involvement on several local boards. His role in one particular board is very near and dear to our baseball program’s heart. As an employee at West Side Recreation and a board member for the Taft Union High School District, Les was a catalyst for the development of the current baseball complex. Before the mid 70s, the baseball program competed at the current softball field. However, the development of the baseball complex allowed the softball fields to be built which became a catalyst to bringing softball to TUHS as an official sport years before many other local school districts did so.
If there were to be a Mount Rushmore of influential figures in the West Side ball scene, you would be hard pressed to not include Les. Not only has he directly contributed to the local ball scene, but he has led his children and grandchildren to make their own continuing impact on baseball and softball locally. His daughter Tessa Pilgrim continues to coach high school softball and his son Les also has been a longtime coach in the Wildcat baseball program. Not to mention his granddaughter Arizona is one of the best softball pitchers of all time on the West Side and his grandson is currently playing professional baseball in the Cleveland Guardians organization. Les’ impact will always be felt and we are grateful for everything he has done for the Taft Baseball family. Congratulations Les on the induction, you deserve it.
Doug Hunt
Class of 1975
As the youngest kid in his family, Doug had the benefit of learning the game from his older brothers. From as early as he could remember, Doug recalls playing catch with his brother Don every day. These catch sessions would create a lasting impression on him which would help create a love for ball that would later become a lifelong passion. In addition to the mentorship of his brother Don, his brother Tom also had a large impact on his development. As a graduate of 1961, Tom had the pleasure of being on some very talented high school and Kern County League teams, including with Hall of Fame Inductee Les Clark. Growing up, Doug would hang out around the ballpark and learn first hand how to be a ball player. This was accelerated when he was given the opportunity to be a bat boy for Les’s Taft Merchants team. However, Doug and Les’ relationship would not stop there. As a little leaguer, Doug was already becoming known for his physical size and ability to throw extremely hard. So hard, in fact, that Les would go on to spend all of his draft points one year on Doug. However, to Les’ disappointment, Doug would not be able to pitch that year which caused the rest of the Little League managers to give Les some of his points back so that he could still field a competitive team.
After Little League, Doug would eventually move on to the high school ranks where his dominance continued. As a junior, Doug established himself early on as the ace of a talented Wildcats team. It was not uncommon for him to dominate games, such as the last game of his junior year where he threw a complete game shutout with 14 strikeouts against Shafter while also going 2-2 at the plate. Outings like this contributed to his end of the year record of 7-2 with a .85 ERA. With stats like this, it comes as no surprise that he was selected to the 1974 First-Team SSL All-League Team. However, his mastery performances didn’t stop there. As if a .85 ERA was not low enough, Hunt slashed his ERA to .56 his senior year while only giving up four earned runs all year. This was good enough to again place him on the First-Team SSL All-League Team and a selection to the Kern County All Star Team. In the All Star Game, representing the South, Hunt would throw two shutout innings and drive in an RBI to lead the South to a 8-3 victory over the North. The only blemish on his high school career lay with a defeat to Wasco, which would ultimately earn them the SSL title that year. The loss would also act as a chip on his shoulder that would further fuel the Taft-Wasco baseball rivalry throughout his coaching career.
Upon graduation, Doug would join the Les Clark managed Taft Merchants in the Kern County Baseball League. Hunt would continue his success on the diamond, which would be good enough to earn him a spot on the Kern County League All-Star Team. However, the Merchants would not be the end of Les managing Doug. Shortly after the end of the Kern County League 1975 season, Doug would continue to play for Les over at Taft College. After one season, Doug would cut his junior college career short by signing with the Oakland Athletics after being drafted in the 3rd round of the 1977 MLB January Draft. Shortly after signing, he would start his career in Medicine Hat. That summer as the closer, Doug would record 7 saves while striking out 35 in 39 innings pitched, while only walking 14. In addition to Medicine Hat, Doug would be promoted to the Modesto A’s in the Cal League. There he had the opportunity to play and room with MLB’s all time steal leader and arguably the best leadoff hitter of all time, Rickey Henderson.
Going into the 1979 season, Doug reported to spring training with the assignment to start the year in Double A. However, his commitment as a husband and father conflicted with his hopes to continue professional baseball. As a result, he decided to hang up his cleats and head back home. Doug’s steadfast dedication to place his family’s needs over any wants of his own would become a lifelong trait that would influence many of his own future ballplayers to do the same.
Although Doug’s professional career may have ended, his passion for the game did not. He would continue playing men’s fastpitch for years in the local West Side softball league. There, he would be a staple of the Golden Service teams that were known for their battles with Rob Davis and the Buzzards.
Finally in the 90s, the coaching bug would bite Doug. He started out coaching his son in Babe Ruth and would eventually move onto the high school ranks at the Varsity level in 2004 with Russell Emberson, Les Clark, and Greg Oliver. After one year with the Varsity, Doug would join the JV team with head coach Brian Powel. Doug would spend nearly a decade there coaching many pitchers to success including me (current head coach, Matt Davis). After winning numerous JV SSL championships, Doug would make the move to varsity where he would continue his winning tradition all while juggling a career as a correctional officer. Thankfully, he would have understanding bosses that would allow his work schedule to have enough flexibility to coach without missing nearly any practices or games. Although he was able to juggle coaching and his work life, Doug finally retired in 2019 which allowed him to focus full time on his passion of coaching. Now, you can catch Doug spending countless hours at the ballpark working on repairing equipment, helping take care of the field, and leaving his mark on the facility. The vast improvements being done at the baseball complex would not be possible without the tenacious work ethic of Dougie.
Doug, you are a dedicated Taft Baseball lifer and we are thankful for the countless lives you have impacted. Congratulations on the induction into the Hall of Fame. You deserve it.