GREENE COUNTY
After having its first multiple-win season in years, the Greene County baseball program decided to hire its new head coach internally.
Former assistant coach Brad Evans was promoted to the Tigers’ head coaching position last week, and he told the Lake Oconee News he’s excited to carry the team’s momentum into next season.
“I really feel like we have a lot of kids that are motivated to play baseball. To be honest, it just felt like we needed a little more commitment outside the players,” Evans said. “We built some momentum this year with two run-rule wins to end the year, much less our first win in seven years. So there are some things I’m excited about that I want to make sure happen first before I say anything, but we’re excited as a program.”
Evans is an Elbert County native that grew up on the diamond.
He spent many years of his childhood playing recreation and travel ball and played through high school, where he eventually hung up his cleats.
In fact, Evans initially wasn’t looking to be a coach, but the love for the game and his students eventually changed his mind.
“I set out to be a teacher. I never really set out to be a coach, but I do love baseball, and I love the opportunity I have to work with the kids,” Evans said. “As a former baseball player that kind of walked away from it in high school, I determined that if I ever got the opportunity to coach, I wanted to make sure the players enjoy the game because, at the end of the day, it is a game.”
Greene County’s baseball team has had to battle through a lot of adversity in recent history, but its dedication paid off this past season.
The Tigers defeated region opponent Washington-Wilkes in March for the program’s first win in seven years.
Nearly a month later, Greene County followed that up by defeating Nathanael Greene Academy in its last two games of the season, with both wins being by considerable margins.
Evans acknowledged that last year’s group really helped him make the decision to take over the head coaching job as he heads into his fifth year with the Tigers.
“I’ve really enjoyed spending time with this group of kids. We’ve had some seniors come through and leave a good stamp on the baseball program,” Evans said. “They had the goal to win a game this year, which may not sound like much, but it is for a team that hasn’t won in seven years. For a kid to put in the yearbook that he wanted to win a game for his school and then do that, leaves a mark on you as a coach because I know there are some kids here that want it.”
Evans has also already begun taking steps to connect local youth leagues with the high school level.
He has also already made it a point to get in contact with the Greene County Recreation Department to try and develop younger kids in the area that are interested in baseball.
Ultimately, Evans believes that there is untapped potential at Greene County High School and that baseball can help kids beyond the sport.
“I also believe that baseball can be a good provider of life lessons because a .300 hitter is a good hitter, but in reality, you failed seven out of 10 times,” Evans said. “But you have to keep coming back because there’s going to be plenty of things in life that are not going to be easy that you have to come back for. It’s good for them to learn at the high school level that success doesn’t come quick and easy but from hard work over time.”