Ozella Chosen as Hart Coach

Hart High has selected Jim Ozella, former Alemany coach, to replace Bud Murray as baseball coach.

Ozella coached Alemany from 1985-94, then became an assistant coach at College of the Canyons. He has a son who will be a freshman this fall at Hart.

Hart won the Southern Section Division II championship in Murray’s final season as coach. Murray won 516 games in 39 years of coaching.

Ozella will inherit a program that returns many of its top players, including pitcher Jamie Shields, considered the region’s top professional prospect for 2000.

“I think he’s going to carry on the tradition that Bud built very well,” said Tim Browne, who served as Ozella’s assistant for 10 years at Alemany.