MERIDIAN —
With Northeast Lauderdale coming off back-to-back playoff appearances, Sean Gerald is excited about what the future holds for the Trojans.
That success and that optimistic future helped lure the former Florence coach to Northeast, where he will replace Steve Nelson at the helm of the Trojans’ fast-pitch softball program in addition to serving as an assistant on the football staff. Gerald, who spent last season not coaching at Brookhaven, was approved by the Lauderdale County Board of Education on Thursday.
“Coach Nelson has done a great job with that program,” Gerald said. “And so I don’t have to come in and rebuild a softball team, I just have to keep it going. I hope I can just do as well as what coach Nelson did.
“I had to rebuild a team at Florence and that takes a long time to rebuild a softball team.”
Said Northeast principal Rob Calcote: “He came to us with six years at Florence and he had a lot of success there. It just seemed like a good fit in continuing to build the program.”
Nelson, who was also Northeast’s football coach for 10 years, took over the fast-pitch reins three years ago. In his second season, Northeast took eventual state champion Newton County to three games in a first-round series. This past year, the Trojans were eliminated by West Lauderdale in three games in the third round of the Class 4A playoffs.
Gerald said to continue building on that success, Northeast will likely rely on small ball and mental toughness.
“I love bunting a whole bunch,” he said. “I really like to play the small-ball game.
“And I want my girls to play like athletes. And they need to do that and have a tough mentality especially with the district we are in.”
Helping Northeast navigate that division — which includes Newton County, West Lauderdale and Quitman, which also has a new coach in five-time state champion Eric Neel — Gerald and the Trojans will rely on ace pitcher Brittany Baty.
Baty’s presence is something Gerald is not accustomed to.
“When you have a pitcher like Baty, it makes it so much fun,” he said. “We were successful at Florence without that kind of pitcher. We played hard-nosed defense and swung the bats really well. But when you have the best pitcher around, it makes things easier.
“I’m not saying we are going to win a state championship just because of her, but when you have a pitcher like that, it gives you a lot better opportunity.”
Sports
NEL hires former Florence coach Gerald
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