This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Bingham baseball coach Joey Sato, who has spent most of his life either as a player for the Miners or coaching, will be inducted into the National High School Baseball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame when the group meets next December in St. Louis at its annual convention.
Sato, who played baseball, basketball and football at Bingham, began his career as an assistant baseball coach at the South Jordan school was still attending the University of Utah. When he earned his education degree in 1978, he was hired at Bingham as a teacher and an assistant baseball, basketball and football coach.
The popular coach served as an assistant baseball coach for 18 years and has been the head coach for the past 22 years. His teams won four state titles when he was head coach and another four when he assisted.
In order to be considered for the national hall of fame, a coach must be a member of the National High School Baseball Coaches Association for at least 10 years, been a head coach for at least 20 years, have a winning percentage of at least .500, must have contributed to high school baseball by speaking at clinics or writing articles on the game of baseball, hold an office or be an active member of the organization, and involved in trying to make high school baseball safe and better across the country.
In announcing Sato's selection, the group praised him for creating a long-standing tradition of baseball excellence at Bingham.
"He teaches the fundamentals to assist his playhers in playing the game the correct way," read a press release on the announcement. "He teaches his athletes values far beyond the game of baseball, allows his assistants the freedom to coach their expertise, and is a true gentleman who is well respected by opposing players, coaches and umpires."
Sato has been Utah's coach of ye year several times and was recently named the Utah High School Activities Association Outstanding Coach. He has served multiple terms as the Utah Baseball Coaches Association Present and represented on the National High School Basketball Coaches Association's executive representing the Rockyh Mountain Region, has given clinic talks at the national convention, and has coaches the 18 and under and 15 and under Mountain West Teams.
— Tom Wharton