Coaching carousel: Fitzpatrick/Stratford softball, Brian Brown/Dublin baseball, around the area (John Milledge softball, Belflower/Tattnall, Greene/Stratford)

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

            Rob Fitzpatrick and Danny Camp worked together at Westfield for several years, in baseball, until Camp moved north to Stratford in 2021.

            The reunion started a year ago when Fitzpatrick resigned as head baseball coach to move to Stratford as an assistant under Camp, in softball as well as baseball.

            Camp announced in the middle of March that he was leaving Stratford as head softball and head baseball coach at the end of the year to take over as athletics director at Piedmont, not far from where he lives in the Monticello area and got his coaching start.

            So much for the reunion.

            It ended earlier than expected. Camp and Stratford athletics director Barry Veal talked, and agreed that it would be best for Camp to started working on his next job immediately, although he’s still at Stratford as a facilities manager.

            “Danny and I are really close,” Veal said. “Once it came out that he was leaving, we just both thought it would be better if he went ahead and started concentrating (on Piedmont).

            “Danny’s 100 percent loyal. He still takes care of our fields. Our fields are gorgeous.”

            The baseball job is still vacant, but Stratford ended Fitzpatrick’s short hiatus from being a head coach by naming him Wednesday as the new softball head coach.

            Veal returned to the dugout for more than a half-dozen games, his first such activity since he retired as Jones County’s head coach in 2014 – having won more than 450 games in 21 seasons - to focus on athletics director duties, which he held there until moving to Stratford in 2022-23.

            “I enjoyed it, I really did,” Veal said. “They’re all hungry. They want to get better.”

            Fitzpatrick’s son Connor is a junior on Stratford’s team, and that equation propelled Veal to make a different-than-expected interim decision with himself rather than Fitzpatrick, to avoid a father coaching a son scenario.

            “Ideally, it’s not a good situation,” Veal said. “It’s nothing against Rob. I’m going on my experience coaching my son. It’s something that if you can stay away from, it’s ideal.

            “You’re either going to be too hard on ‘em or too soft on ‘em. You place yourself and your son or daughter in a no-win situation.”

            Fitzpatrick’s debut coaching girls sports was last fall with as an assistant with Stratford’s softball team.

            “I really enjoyed it. They really listen. They soak up everything (coaches) say. They want to be better. It’s a good group of girls.”

            Stratford loses one senior, Ella Britt, from a 17-13 team.

            There are definite differences between high school baseball and softball, but more similarities.

            “There’s a lot of things that make it fun that you can associate baseball and softball with together,” he said. “It’s a bat and ball sport.

“I’m excited about it. It’s going to be different, but I like it.”

Brown takes over at Dublin to end season

            Another coach returning to the dugout hotseat is Brian Brown in Dublin.

            The former West Laurens head coach has been an assistant at Dublin since 2019-20, was promoted to interim head coach in early April and then approved as full-time boss at a Dublin City Schools board meeting on April 22.

            The school and head coach Todd Hogan parted ways earlier in April because of an administrative disagreement.

            Up stepped Brown, who steered the Irish to a second-place finish in Region 2-A/Division I, and then to the Sweet 16, Dublin finishing 15-18, going 8-6 in April.

            He is in his fourth season at Dublin, as an assistant coach until the move to interim and then permanent head coach.

            The graduate of Elbert County and Georgia College went 285-138 in 14 years as head coach at West Laurens, leading the Raiders to 13 playoff trips and three region titles, after serving as an assistant.

Around the Central Georgia carousel

            John Milledge has named Holly Veal Hart as the new softball coach. The 2007 grad of JMA played on state title teams from 2003-05 and was a captain. She replaces Wes Land, who resigned in December of three seasons, two of which ended in region championships. …

            Veteran Central Georgia assistant coach Ted Belflower is joining the Tattnall football staff.

            He has been at Dublin, Northside, Hawkinsville, Dodge County, Bleckley County, Macon County, and Twiggs County, with several years as an offensive coordinator. The Dodge County grad who played in college at Maryville, Tenn. has experience as a defensive coordinator as well.

            Head coach John Abernathy may have the largest staff this fall since he took over at Tattnall entering the 2020 season.

            There will be at least a little movement among private schools as contracts are sent – or not sent – to coaches this spring. …

            Sitting near the girls basketball bench at Stratford during the 2023-24 season should provide some entertainment, with Kurt Greene joining Ed Smith’s staff as a community coach.

            Greene was released in March from his position has Tattnall’s head girls basketball coach after three successful seasons, and hinted recently at the move to Peake Road.

            Smith has been at Stratford since 2000. In that span, Greene has been at Windsor, Jones County, Mary Persons, Gatewood, Jasper County, and Tattnall, in some form or fashion, including a year helping the Mary Persons boys.

            Unofficially, because he’s not sure, Greene is 656-353 has a head coach.