STARKVILLE — Even though the school year is just beginning, Starkville High School baseball coach Travis Garner already feels like it has been a great year.
Over the summer, the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees approved the hiring of two coaches for the school’s baseball program.
Cliff Thames will coach the school’s new ninth-grade team, while Ben Tillman has hired as an assistant coach for the varsity team. Both are Mississippi State graduates. The staff also includes returnees Brad Hamilton and Carlos Kemp.
“It is something we have been trying to do for a long time,” Garner said. “All of the credit goes to (principal Sean) McDonnall for pushing this through. It was something he wanted to do. He was passionate about it. Of course, I was passionate about it. For the first time since I have been here, I feel like we go into the year with a full staff.
“We have the guys we need to coach an entire program from top to bottom.”
Garner will begin his sixth season as the school’s baseball coach. In recent seasons, three coaches handled the varsity, junior varsity, and junior high programs.
“We have been needing a ninth-grade team for quite some time,” Garner said. “New Hope has one. The schools in the Jackson area have one. The schools on the coast have one. Essentially, everyone in Class 6A has one. To tell you how big a demand there is, it only took me two days to fill out a schedule.”
The ninth-grade team will have 11-13 players and will play an 18-game schedule. The Kemp-coached junior high team will include seventh- and eighth-graders and will play an 18-game schedule.
“This is a big opportunity for my family,” Thames said. “We have been wanting to come back to this part of the state for quite some time. Mississippi State is a special place to me. To be able to coach in (Class) 6A and to be close to the university again, it is an exciting time. This is a great opportunity.”
Garner said the additional team will allow the program to grow its numbers across the board.
“When we faced Madison Central this year, they had 18 juniors on the team,” Garner said. “That group had played together for quite some time. Now, our ninth-grade parents know their son is going to play. In the past, freshman players were having to scrap for at-bats in junior varsity games. It really hurt some of the older kids, too. If you have a kid with star potential, you have to get them some playing time. You had to do that in a junior varsity game.
“Now, they have their own team and their own opportunity. When you talk 18 games, that is a lot of innings and a lot of at-bats.”
The other good news for Garner is the new coaches have high school head coaching experience. Thames was head coach at Florence High, while Tillman was head coach at Yazoo City High.
“This is an incredible career move,” Tillman said. “Getting a head-coaching opportunity right out of college was a blessing. However, it was a challenge. It was a tough spot to have success. To be able to move to Class 6A ball, to work with Travis, and to be close to State again made this a win-win all the way around.”
Garner feels like the program can reap the benefits right away.
“It’s a statement we are serious about building a championship-caliber program,” Garner said. “The football team has a freshman team. The basketball teams do, too. It is great we can move in this direction with baseball, too.
“The other good news is we have five baseball men coaching on the staff. They are each passionate about the sport. Sometimes, coaches have other passions and are put in baseball positions. Our situation is different. We have lots of head coaching experience. We have baseball men. The players will benefit. I am excited about getting started.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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