DVC names Dennis Luquet Head Baseball Coach
Diablo Valley College Athletic Department has named Dennis Luquet as the next Head Coach of the Vikings baseball program. Luquet has over 25 years of baseball experience and will return to his baseball roots after 5 seasons as Head Softball Coach for the Vikes.
In his first season as the Head Softball Coach at DVC (2015), Luquet improved the previous season record of 11-25 to 32-11, finishing 2ndto Cosumnes River College in the Big 8 Conference Championship game. DVC received the 3rd seed for the CCCAA State Playoffs and finished the season ranked 6th in the state. The Vikings were ranked the highest in school history – 4th in the state and 2nd in Northern California.
During Luquet’s tenure as Head Softball Coach, the Vikings improved every statistical category including batting average, earned run average, and fielding percentage. He recruited and coached All-State & All-Northern California pitcher, Nicole Nordahl, who led the State in strikeouts and set DVC’s single season strikeout record, as well as All-American and All-State Short-Stop Ashley Allen, who received a scholarship to play at California State University, East Bay. Luquet coached 18 All-Big 8 Conference selections, 11 1st team selections, and 7 2nd team selections, the most in school history in a 4-year span in the most competitive conference in Northern California.
Luquet was also the 2015 Runner up for Coach of the Year for the Big 8 Conference and the Vikings hosted the California State Playoff Regional for the first time in school history and 3 consecutive seasons after that. The Vikings also advanced to the 2015 CCCAA State Playoff Super Regional for the first time in school history and 3 of the 5 years as Head Coach. Luquet had 25 players transfer to 4-year institutions to finish their degree in 4 years. The Vikings were ranked in the top 15 in the State 4 out of 5 years and they were ranked in the top 10 in the Northern California 4 out of 5 years as well. Luquet also had 5 players named to the NFCA All-Academic Team.
Prior to being Head Softball coach at DVC, Luquet was the Head Baseball Coach for the 2012-2013 season. During this season, 14 of the players he recruited to DVC transfered to 4-year institutions, 11 played baseball in college, 3 were drafted by Major League Baseball and played in the minor leagues. He also held numerous camps, clinics for local high school players.
Before DVC, Luquet was a very successful high school coach, guiding Deer Valley High School to the North Coast Section playoffs 14 out of his 15 seasons. Luquet earned the Contra Costa Times Coach of the Year award in 1998 and never had a losing season at Deer Valley, on his way to 269 wins and 123 losses. Deer Valley won the 2003 North Coast Section Championship and won the Bay Valley Athletic League 5 times. Luquet had 13 players drafted by Major League Baseball at Deer Valley, including Daniel Denham, the 17th overall pick in the 2001 Draft and 19 players received scholarships to four-year colleges.
Luquet played two seasons of NCAA Division I Baseball at Northern Illinois University from 1976 to 1977, where he was voted a two-time Most Valuable Player. Luquet grew up in Concord, California where he was a graduate of Ygnacio Valley High School. Luquet was a stand-out high school baseball player who led him to begin his collegiate career at DVC as a Viking. He playing for DVC "Hall of Fame" Coach Ernie Cecaci. In 1975, Luquet was voted Most Valuable Player by his teammates and later that year was drafted in the 5th round by the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2000, he has selected to the Diablo Valley College Baseball All Half-Century Team as an infielder.
