In addition to being Westminster’s new varsity baseball coach you are also the quarterback and assistant football coach. Describe your coaching background.
After graduating from Washington and Lee University in 2000, I coached both football and baseball at the Division Three collegiate level at John Hopkins and Dickinson College. At that time it wasn’t uncommon to coach both football and baseball. At Johns Hopkins we spent some time as number one in the nation in baseball, and I definitely draw on what I learned there in my coaching today. I am just the third head baseball coach in Westminster School history and I am looking forward to continuing the great success of this program.
What is your coaching philosophy for baseball?
Our motto for this year is “Pride, poise, palms down.” We say this everyday after practice. When your palms are up, it means that you are asking for something, it’s about yourself. But when your palms are down, nothing is given to you and you a part of a team. We are all committed to having a strong season and have been doing preseason strength and conditioning in the mornings.
Will we be seeing any big changes to the baseball program now that long time coach Jim Jefferson has retired?
I wasn’t officially a part of the baseball faculty last season, but I spent some time around them and was involved in the recruiting process for the head coach. I have tremendous respect for Coach Jim Jefferson and former Coach Harry Lloyd. I am fortunate to inherit a program with such great foundations and success and I plan to continue those traditions, including the annual varsity baseball trip to Naples, FL. This year we will be very organized and we want to use our time very wisely because it is very difficult to fit all three baseball teams at Westminster on the same field.
I know the team looking forward to the going to Naples for Spring Break. What do you feel are the advantages of the trip?
We typically practice with JV baseball too, so the trip to Naples gives us a chance to have only the varsity team and an opportunity to practice specific drills with varsity. It also gives the kids a chance to get away from Atlanta, and is a great bonding experience both on and off the field. We will have a day where they do non-baseball activities with lots of down time. We will also be going to spring training, which will be fun for the boys.
What do you enjoy to do outside of baseball?
Well, I am married with two kids–one is almost three years old and the other is only seven months old–so I don’t have much free time. But I play golf and run when I get the chance. My wife, Erin, currently works at King and Spalding, and in addition to coaching I am a seventh grade English teacher. I also used to practice law at Kilpatrick Townsend. We have an upcoming game, the home opener on Monday against King’s Ridge, and we are looking forward to a great season.
