This Clovis High baseball coach is unlike any other

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- "Stevie English is... we'd like to say that he's the heart of Clovis High baseball honestly," says Logan Poisall, one of his best friends and an assistant coach.

If you've caught a Clovis High baseball game over the last eight years, you will notice a couple of constants - James Patrick as the head coach and another member of the Cougars coaching staff, Steve English.

"He was born with Down syndrome and I don't know that he ever knew he was different than anybody else. He's always been really active with everybody," says Lavonne English, his mother.

"He was a student at Clovis High School and he kind of befriended us and we found that he absolutely loves baseball," head coach Patrick says.

Baseball has been good to Stevie and his relationship with Poisall has only grown over the years.

"We met in 3rd grade and ever since we've kind of just had a connection," Poisall says.

Steve joined the Cougars as a team manager in 2012 and after graduating high school, stayed on with the team and quickly earned a promotion.

"I think he kind of named himself a coach somewhere in there. He's now Coach English."

"He gets fired up sometimes, he likes to give signs. He will be giving signs and stuff and he likes to run the baseballs out to the umpires," says Poisall.

When Coach English isn't in the dugout, he goes to school at Fresno State's wayfinders program and holds down two jobs.

"He really loves sports, he plays basketball, bocce ball, he's bowling league. He's in a drama class at Fresno State, he would love to be an actor in Hollywood someday with Chris Pratt," says Steve's mom.

Adds Poisall:

"He brings a certain energy that kind of can uplift a team. Right when he walks in the dugout he'll give everybody a hug. I think just the relationship between him and the players is just something that's unmatched."

Just four games remain in the regular season for Clovis.

The next time you can catch Coach English in the dugout is Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. when Clovis hosts Central.