MEET THE NEW VARSITY BASEBALL COACH

Baseball season at Elkmont is opening this week.  The field has been raked and freshly mowed.  Sunny weather in the upper 50s is forecast for the first pitch.  The season opener for the Red Devils includes a new head varsity coach, Zachary Standridge. Hill Spirit had an opportunity to visit with our new coach for his thoughts on his first season at the helm.

Background:

Coach Standridge cut his teeth on baseball, playing at East Lawrence.  He later attended Calhoun and then Martin Methodist to achieve his education degree while representing each school on the diamond. While often found in the infield, he was known as an utility player.  He earned his Masters at Western Kentucky University.  Zach and his lovely wife, Erica, have four children. Justice is seven, the twins (Canaan and Haniyah) are six with the youngest, Eli, rounding out the Standridge clan at 18 months.

Life at Elkmont:
Zach was brought on board by former principal Garth Garris last summer.  He became part of our zany sixth grade staff as the math teacher.  He also became part of the football and baseball programs as an assistant.  When Coach Nave resigned from coaching earlier this year, Standridge quickly moved to the head varsity coach position.  His coaching staff is Dennis Black, Josh Andrews, Caleb Adams. 

Coach Standridge has two goals for his Red Devils program this year:  
The first is creating a better baseball facility for it to flourish.  During the off season they have worked to improve the field, sodding part of the infield, overseeding the outfield and bringing in three trucks of dirt to help improve drainage.  

The second is player development.  He wants each player to learn, eat and breath the concepts of working hard, to prepare and to take pride in what they do.  Being a part of the team isn't enough, learning what it takes to succeed is what they strive for.  Zach wants to emphasize player fundamentals, pitcher development and an instinctual knowledge of the game.  The Red Devils look to be in good hands to build the future.