Coach Lou is back!
Not many people in Pahrump know baseball like Lou Banuelos does.
As a child running through Echo Park in East Los Angeles, Banuelos quickly gained an love for the game of baseball from listening to his father call games for the Mike Brito Adult Baseball League.
“We used to live right down on Avalon so we would just walk up the stairs and we were at Chavez Ravine,” Banuelos said. “That’s where my love came from, all those years spent with my family at Dodger Stadium.”
After spending eleven years in the military as a F-14 team mechanic stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Banuelos settled in Pahrump in 1995.
Over the last 30 years, Lou has played an active role in the development of well-rounded ballplayers from the youth level through high school.
“The military and community service go hand in hand with each other,” Banuelos said. “When I came to this town, I wanted to give back to this community. Like Hotel California, once you’re here, you’ll never get out.”
From 2006 to 2015, Banuelos served as an umpire for the Southern Nevada high school circuit.
“I was able to umpire some games with Bryce Harper, Joey Gallo and some other guys that made it to the pros,” Banuelos said. “It was pretty good baseball back then. I did a couple of classics in Vegas and those were awesome.”
When not running his HVAC business, P-Town Air Inc., Banuelos serves as the president of Pahrump Valley Little League (PVLL) and the hitting coach for the Pahrump Valley High School JV baseball team.
This year, after stepping away from the Little League in 2018 due to health complications, Banuelos could no longer stand to be away from the league he loves and will return to serve.
“Baseball has not died in Pahrump. Baseball is at it 100%,” Banuelos said. “Back in the day in the early 2000’s, the park was always packed. “It was the best game in town. Everybody would show up, park their cars and had a good time watching baseball. That’s what rural Nevada does and we’re looking to get back to that.”
In 2023, Pahrump Valley High School’s varsity baseball team captured the 3A state title for the first time in the program’s history dating back to 1955.
“There’s a lot of good things happening, but everybody is trying to do their own thing and nobody seems on the same page,” said Banuelos. “It’s making it tough and strenuous on baseball here in Pahrump.”
With four independent baseball programs operating in the town, Banuelos’ aim in returning back to PVLL is to foster a positive, yet still competitive environment.
“I love coming back. I’m going to stress hard on the development of my T-ballers and rookies, because that’s where it needs to start,” Banuelos said. “I hear a lot of people always say there’s nothing for the kids to do. Yes, there is. They just gotta get up and do it.”
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
