Groundskeeper and team player: Kent’s Quientin Poil a champion Babe Ruth coach

Quientin Poil initially worked for the City of Kent 25 years ago to have a summer job between college baseball seasons.

In between playing baseball at Yakima Valley Community College and Washington State University, Poil worked in parks maintenance. The job also allowed him to play summer baseball in the Seattle area.

Poil took a full-time job in 1993 with the Kent parks department after about three years as an assistant baseball coach at WSU and Yakima.

“There’s no money in baseball,” said Poil, now in his 17th year with the city, about working as a college assistant coach. “Unless you’re the head coach, you do not make a lot of money.”

Poil, the parks supervisor for grounds, street trees and the nursery, didn’t give up on his love for coaching baseball. He coached a select baseball team in Kent for about six years and for the last seven years has helped coach and run the Pierce County-based Puget Sound Baseball Club for players ages 10 to 18.

Jennifer Bretzer, who works in support services for the parks department at a desk not far from Poil at the parks maintenance office along Russell Road, knows how much baseball means to Poil.

“He has a huge passion for baseball and the kids he coaches,” Bretzer said. “He takes them under his wing and leads them in the right direction.”

In fact, Poil coached the Puget Sound Roxx, an 18-and-under team, to the Babe Ruth World Series title last summer in Moses Lake. Poil proudly wears a Babe Ruth World Series ring from the team that compiled a 49-4 record. He also found out the team will be honored for winning the title with a plaque at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.

“The museum curator wanted a hat and a photo of the team with its trophy,” Poil said during an interview March 26 at his parks maintenance office. “I guess the hat and team photo will be displayed until they archive those and put up a plaque.”

Poil hopes to visit the Hall of Fame, but already has plans this summer for a trip to the Dominican Republic to help coach a 12-and-under team from the Puget Sound Baseball Club.

Besides, the former catcher and outfielder has a full-time job with the city to fulfill.

As a supervisor, Poil oversees a full-time maintenance crew of 17. The number of employees swells to nearly 40 in the summer when part-timers are hired.

Although much of his job requires him to be in the office, Poil visits the parks to to check out if the grounds are maintained.

“I make sure they are green and edged and that there’s no garbage,” Poil said. “If there is a full can of garbage, I’ll get out and take care of it.”

Poil, 43, started as a part-time parks maintenance worker for Kent in 1985 after he graduated from Tyee High School in SeaTac. He returned to that summer job between baseball seasons as a catcher and outfielder at Yakima and WSU. He played at WSU in 1988 and 1989 with John Olerud, a first baseman for 17 years in the major leagues, including five with the Seattle Mariners.

Now Poil helps coach future WSU players on the select team, including his stepson Sal Arena. Arena is a pitcher and third baseman at Puyallup High School who throws in the low 90 mph and has signed a letter of intent to play for the Cougars. Poil also works as an assistant coach at Puyallup, the Class 4A state runner-up last year and a favorite this spring to win the state title.

Poil, whose wife Dianna helps run the administrative side of the Puget Sound Baseball Club, also has 10-year-old son, Tucker, who plays baseball but prefers football at this point.

“I try to tell him to keep playing baseball in case football doesn’t work out,” said Poil, who lives in Eatonville.

Baseball certainly continues to play a big role in Poil’s life, even when it comes to metaphors fellow employees use to describe his work.

“Quientin is a great guy who always steps up to the plate whenever anybody needs anything,” Bretzer said.