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Coaching Staff

The California Warriors coaching staff is comprised primarily of former California Warriors players who have played or currently play college baseball. We have a Coach Development Program that ensures our coaches learn subtleties of teaching student athletes about baseball while developing important life skills in leadership and interpersonal communication. Click here to apply to become a California Warriors Coach.


Coach Elijah “Bear” Smith (email) is the California Warriors Director of Baseball Operations. He is a California Warriors alum who redshirted on the UC Berkeley baseball team and graduated from Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he earned his Bachelors degree in 2019. He was an All-Pac West Conference selection during both years at Academy of Art in 2018 and 2019 and was named All-West Region in 2019. The Team Captain in 2019, he was also chosen as the Urban Knights’ Most Valuable Player. He set the Academy of Art single season records for doubles, triples, and OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). After graduating, Coach Bear worked as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for Academy of Art and is currently an Assistant Coach with the Willamette University baseball team, where he works with infielders and is the hitting coach.

Coach & Area Scout Khalid Johnson (email) is a graduate of Fresno Pacific University, where he played baseball for 2 seasons. As a player at De La Salle, the Richmond native helped the Spartans win the North Coast Section Championship in 2016 and 2017 and earned the team’s coach’s award in 2017. With years of experience as a hitting and agility and speed coach, Coach Wheaties is an invaluable asset to the California Warriors program. He has coached for the California Warriors in Summer, Fall, and Winter, and will also serve as a California Warriors Area Scout in 2024.

Coach Steven Elsner is a California Warriors alum who has coached for the Warriors for many seasons. Steve starred on the College of Marin baseball team before transfering to Bellevue University, where he is currently on the roster. In his three seasons with the COM Mariners, Elsner hit .311 with a .956 OPS. He totaled 45 extra-base hits including 16 home runs, 83 RBI, 78 runs scored, stole 15 of 16 bases successfully, and was a two-time second team all-Bay Valley Conference pick.

Assistant Coach Calvin Louie lives in Daly City, attended Jefferson High School, and is the quintessential Volunteer Assistant Coach. He will be a 2024 Graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Environmental Economics & Policy and is a Team Manager for the baseball team at Cal. He played outfield at Skyline College and says, “I love teaching the game and giving back.” Calvin is an experienced deep sea fisherman and has a family business.

Coach Max Valencia played in the Giants minor league organization for 4 years and worked as a Scout for the Kansas City Royals. He is the founder of the non-profit Take it to the Max Baseball and created the Colt 45s Baseball Club. He has a BA in Sociology from CSU Chico and is pursuing a Masters in Sports Psychology. He has coached with the California Warriors for 10 years and lives in Southern California.

Area Scout Nic Vamis is a California Warriors Alum who played for and was President of the Chapman University Club Baseball Team. The LHP majored in Business Administration with an emphasis on sports analytics.