College Honors Deceased SJJHS Coach

San Jose State University is putting the finishing touches on a patio to honor former pitching star Deanna Mauer, who was an assistant coach at .

The university broke ground on the Deanna Mauer Memorial Patio in August and plans to open it March 2. Mauer still holds the school record for most strikeouts in a game, 15.

Dawn Mauer, Deanna’s mom, said she and her husband, Howard, would attend the dedication and were touched by the gesture.

“We knew she was special. I didn’t realize how much other people saw her as special,” Dawn Mauer said. Besides assistant coaching for the Stallions, Mauer was a standout player at .

Mauer was killed in April when a car driven by San Diego resident Jorene Ypanto Nicolas, 29, allegedly rammed into her on Interstate 405 in Fountain Valley, creating a six-car pileup. The Orange County District Attorney’s office recently charged Nicolas with vehicular manslaughter.

Nicolas is accused of driving at about 80 mph when she came upon stop-and-go traffic. and is expected back in court Feb. 23. 

San Jose State finished the first phase of the project – a 20-by-30-foot cobblestone deck in the left field viewing area – in only two days, according to Amy Villa, spokeswoman for Spartan Athletics at San Jose State. Workers have since been building a patio shade cover and the memorial stone.

Villa said head coach Peter Turner raised the $5,000 needed to complete the patio.

March 2 is also the date of the first Deanna Mauer Super Series, a tournament featuring teams from Santa Clara and Southern Utah universities.

Dawn said employees at Whole Foods in Huntington Beach, where her daughter also worked at the time of her death, have kept a photo of Deanna up in their break room.

She heard this after befriending a store manager who often leaves notes at Deanna’s grave.

“She would leave notes all the time, and I would take them home and put them in a box,” Dawn said. One day, the two finally met, and Dawn heard the story of how Deanna was the first to befriend the shy supervisor.

“Deanna would tell her, ‘Why are you always at work? You need to go out more with friends,’ ” Dawn said. “She affected so many people. We had no idea.”

Deanna is the only child of Dawn’s marriage with Howard, and her only daughter. She has been advised not to discuss the court case, but said she hopes her daughter gets justice.

Nicolas' attorney has suggested Deanna may somehow have contributed to the accident. 

Dawn Mauer replied, "We want the truth to come out. We want Deanna's name cleared from any wrongdoing. We know she didn't do anything wrong."

Meanwhile, a tribute banner remains in the outfield at San Juan Hills High. Head coach Cary Baker and Deanna go way back. He coached her when she was at Fountain Valley High.