Veteran coach Ryan Hoover takes over at East Bay

By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

GIBSONTON – East Bay High has turned to a familiar face for its next baseball coach, as longtime area assistant and 1996 EBHS alum Ryan Hoover has been selected as the Indians new head coach.

Hoover, who spent 15 years as an assistant coach at Riverview before three-year stints on the staffs at Lennard and, most recently, East Bay, was announced as the head coach by assistant principal Brian Williams on X on Tuesday.

“I played at East Bay High School, and my family – all my uncles and cousins played at East Bay, so this is a longtime dream of coming home for me,” Hoover said. “East Bay has a real small-town feel – we have a ton of community support rallying around our team.”

Ryan Hoover has served as a high school baseball assistant coach for 22 years with time at Riverview, Lennard and East Bay High Schools (813Preps file photo).

Hoover, replaces Rowland Ruiz Sr. who departs after four seasons, where he led East Bay to three-straight winning seasons, two region appearances, a 2024 district title and a 49-49 overall record.

“The coaching staff will stay intact and I spoke to all of our kids this week,” Hoover said. “I think it will be a smooth transition to build on the success that Rowland built here, and we’ll just keep building the program bigger and better.”

In 2026, East Bay posted a 16-11 record – the most wins for the program in more than two decades and the back-to-back region appearances (including last season’s region semifinal berth). The success of the last two seasons included the program’s first playoff appearances since 2001.

Hoover said he is excited to continue to work with a team he feels is on the rise.

“Our kids work really hard and they want to achieve the same goals that I have,” he said, “and that is every coach’s dream. We want to make it to a state championship game and that takes effort and work, so we are going to try to get 1% better each and every day.”

Ryan Hoover (left) spent 15 seasons at Riverview High School helping former Sharks head coach Bill Leiby (813Preps file photo).

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