On June 24, Coppell ISDl athletic director Kit Pehl received a phone call from Coppell baseball head coach Ryan Howard that he is leaving to return to Lake Dallas. 

Howard was hired in 2019 from Lake Dallas High School. Howard coached four seasons at CHS, and led Cowboys to Class 6A Region 1 semifinals in 2021 and 2022. According to Pehl, Howard cited family reasons for the move.

Assistant Armando Garza has been promoted to Coppell baseball coach. Both Howard and Garza could not be reached for comment through email. 

“Coach Garza has had some great experiences before coming to Coppell,” Pehl said. “He was an integral part of the success that our baseball program has experienced. So I definitely think we are in good hands with Coach Garza being able to transition to that role. It was unanimous that not only did I feel the way, but it was being echoed amongst the stakeholders that he represents on campuses as well.” 

The time frame for finding a new head coach was considerably shortened, according to Pehl. Typically, potential head coach hires must go through multiple rounds of interviews but due to teacher contractual deadlines, the process was abbreviated. 

“Coach Garza was chosen for this job for the due diligence that he has done with our student athletes,”  Pehl said.