Former minor leaguer and Southeastern Athletics owner Stacy Bennett has been named the new Richmond Hill High School baseball coach.
Bennett’s appointment was approved at last week’s Bryan County Board of Education meeting and his first order of business might come as a surprise to some.
It's getting players into the weight room.
“First and foremost, in the very near future they’re going to be getting mentally stronger and physically stronger through weight training,” said Bennett, 28. “As coaches, our jobs are to prepare these kids to perform. If we don’t, then as coaches we’re not doing our job.”
That philosophy regarding offseason workouts was one of the reasons Bennett got the job, said Michael Pollard, athletics director at RHHS.
“We feel our kids need to be lifting and working on speed and agility year round. We wanted a coach who buys into that philosophy for baseball,” Pollard said.
Bennett’s ability to communicate with parents also factored into the choice, according to school officials. His emphasis on academics and good citizenship registered high with school officials as well.
“We think Coach Bennett is a great fit for our program for a number of reasons,” Pollard said. “He does a great job teaching kids how to play baseball, but he’s also a very positive role model who wants his players to be good kids and develop into good adults. Stacy also comes with a lot of baseball experience, and one of the things that led to him getting recommended and approved was the fact he has established a reputation with college recruiters and coaches that our kids will benefit from.”
Bennett said the job, his first as a high school head coach, is an ideal fit. His wife, Elizabeth Bennett, is the girls basketball coach at RHHS.
“From a family standpoint, it’s really a great situation,” he said. “I couldn’t ask to be in a better school system.”
Bennett is from Athens and played college baseball at Armstrong Atlantic State University until he was drafted in the 14th round by the New York Mets in 2003. Bennett, a catcher and third baseman, played Class A ball for two years before returning to Armstrong to get his degree in economics.
He then coached at the Chain Baseball Academy in Savannah before starting Southeastern Athletics, “an organization built to help young baseball and softball players reach their dreams,” according to its website -- which lists a number of area players who have either been drafted or were signed to college scholarships in recent years.
“One thing I teach all our guys is that baseball helps you learn life lessons,” Bennett said. “You have nine individuals out there at one time working toward the same goal, just like a company you might go to work for as an adult. You have to take care of your responsibilities in order for the team to succeed.”
Grades also matter, he said.
“It’s important to get these kids recruited to go on and play at the next level, whether it’s college or pro ball,” Bennett said. “You’ve got to have the grades to do it, first and foremost.”
As for relating to parents, Bennett said “players are parents’ kids and that’s something that you have to keep in mind. You have to have parental support to be successful and you have to have a booster club that trusts the coach.”
Bennett, who will also have teaching duties, reportedly scored highest out of the nine candidates during a process that included evaluation by a committee.
The group was comprised of Dallas Daniel, lee Braswell, Ralph Forbes and Stuart Neathery.
All are “men of integrity and stakeholders in the program for one reason or another,” said Pollard, who picked the committee members. His criteria?
“I selected them because they were men who could make a fair, objective decision,” he said.
When it came to looking for a coach, one  thing that wasn't necessary was head coaching experience at a high school, Pollard said.
“We were looking for a guy who’s a good baseball coach, we were looking for a guy with character and looking for a guy with the right philosophy,” he said. “Stacy exceeded that above and beyond any of our other candidates.”
The candidates were scored, the scores were averaged out and Bennett came out on top, Pollard said.
Bennett replaces Mitchell Curry, who was let go aas baseball coach at the end of the 2010 season. The reason for his dismissal was undisclosed, but it wasn’t due to his win-loss record. Curry reportedly one 117 games during his 8-year tenure. The Wildcats finished second in Region 3AAA last year and hosted a playoff series for the first time.
“We’ve got a good group coming back,” Bennett said. “We’re going to be competitive. I wouldn’t be taking the job if I didn’t feel we will be competitive here at Richmond Hill.”