“Tito and I discussed with [Hoover assistant principal in charge of athletics] Bill Sterling and he said time was an issue,” Van Patten said. “He said that he wasn’t going to be able to put in enough time to the program that’s needed.
“He’s got a high standard for himself, and he just felt like he couldn’t fulfill the time it takes to coach.”
Van Patten said Hoover is in the beginning stages of a search for candidates.
Hoover went 8-11 and 5-9 in the Pacific League under Cruz and didn’t qualify for the postseason.
Cruz, who couldn’t be reached for comment, and the Tornadoes were stung by two tragedies off the field during the season.
Assistant Coach Brandon Villalobos died in a dune buggy accident in Hesperia on April 11 and Delzell died in his sleep on May 2.
Van Patten said neither incident led to Cruz’s resignation.
“He and the team went through a lot,” Van Patten said. “He just couldn’t give the program the time that it deserved.
“The baseball season is a long time from now. We have time to find a replacement.”
“We wish that we could keep him longer. We are going to try to fill the role with a good candidate.”
Cruz spent the last two years of high school at Hoover after transferring from St. Francis. In 2002, Cruz led Hoover in batting average (.512), runs (31), hits (41), triples (four) and stolen bases (11) en route to securing All-CIF Southern Section Division I first team honors.
Cruz then took his game to Long Beach State before getting drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 34th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.
His only coaching experience before last year was for a season as an assistant under Delzell.
