By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

             When Joey Hiller was released from duties at Tattnall back in March as head baseball coach and athletics director effective at the end of the school year, it was a major shoe dropping in Class A baseball statewide and among a school’s most identifiable names.

          In the shuffling that brought Matt Chambless from ACE as head boys basketball coach and athletics director, Hiller was to retain his position as head softball coach and sports information director, adding a development title to his duties.

          Those who figured Hiller was suddenly ready for a major career move were right.

          Hiller was introduced Tuesday afternoon in a social media post as the new head baseball coach at Peach County, a mighty change for somebody who’s career has been winning at a private school in a county loaded with high schools to a county with one high school and little overall success.

          “Oh gosh, I feel so rejuvenated and inspired and recharged,” Hiller said Tuesday night. “Man, I’m ready to go.”

          Hiller will be introduced in a meet-and-greet on Thursday at 4 p.m. And odds are his cheeks will be tuckered out afterward from smiling, because Peach County is getting a very recharged head baseball coach.

          “I don’t know how to describe it,” he said. “I loved being AD. But literally, I couldn’t see myself doing anything other than what I’m about to do now.”   

          Hiller replaces Jeff Bailey, whose contract wasn’t renewed in early May, as per a social media post about the vacancy.

          According to MaxPreps, where information is based on information entered by schools and teams, Peach County has had only two winnings seasons since 2012-13. Information in the previous few seasons was incomplete. Bailey was the head coach at least since 2012-13, and has been on the football staff of head coach Chad Campbell for longer than that.

          It’ll be Hiller’s public-school and outside-of-Bibb County coaching debut. He attended Central before transferring to Stratford for his senior year. He attended Middle Georgia College and Columbus State, and was drafted 487th in the 1994 major-league draft. Three years later, he started teaching and coaching at Tattnall, covering baseball, softball, and football over the next 25 years.

Carousel Coverage, the past year

May 27: Catching up on a spinning and dizzying carousel: Hardy to Westfield, and more
April 20: From Eagles to Gryphons, Farriba to ACE (with more ACE moves)
April 17: The carousel has spun - unexpectedly - at Stratford, where it's complicated, with Mark Farriba's unexpected departure from his alma mater as AD
April 17: Longtime Jones County coach and AD Veal to take over at Stratford
April 12: Major changes at Tattnall: Hiller to be replaced as baseball coach, AD, Chambless in as boys basketball coach and AD

March 31: West Laurens picks Mary Persons assistant Burdette
March 31: From the military to law enforcement to coach and teaching, Perry’s Reggie West handing over the Panthers’ keys
March 31: Gainous resigns at Georgia College, ready to take over Perry boys basketball and rejoin family full time
March 21: Lockhart returning to Upson-Lee
March 10: Veterans’ Turner retiring

March 2: West Laurens’ McClain announces resignation
Feb.15: FPD girls basketball coach Griffin retiring
Feb. 4: Very familiar name taking over at Washington County: Robert Edwards III
Feb. 4: Adding Joel Ingram part of busy offseason for Dublin’s Holmes
Jan. 7: Stratford doesn’t go far for new head football coach

Jan. 5: Jasper County hires a new coach with winning pedigree
Dec. 14, 2021: Jeremy Edwards heading south, from Warner Robins to Houston County
Dec. 9, 2021: Ingram out at Washington County after 22 years
Dec. 6, 2021: Hatcher to ACE,
Dec. 2, 2021; Stratford’s Farriba retires, ‘would love to help people’

June 11: Westfield adds Robinson, plus Georgia College+Tattnall+Perry+John Milledge+Peach County; Northside BKB
June 8: There’s a new Indian – but not so new – leading Dodge County football; Houston County softball stays home

          Hiller hasn’t had even a .500 season in either sport. The closest was 13-12 in his first season as softball head coach. Hiller was also part of Hester’s football staff for a few seasons.

          He joined the Macon Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2021, which included nearby rival Jeff Treadway – another baseball/softball coach – of Stratford, and former Tattnall standout Brannen Veal. Tattnall volunteer assistant and former longtime major-leaguer Kevin Brown was inducted into the Macon hall in 2007.

          Hiller takes a record of 625-148 to his new job.

          This will be the first time Hiller has coached only one sport. He’ll be in the classroom, with specifics to be determined but connected to the career technical and agricultural education (CTAE) program. He’ll bolster the school’s athletics social media output while developing an athletics website.

          The change took Hiller back two-plus decades.

He remembered sitting with Barney Hester 25 years ago and interviewing for the Tattnall baseball job after two years as an assistant at Stratford.

          “I feel exactly like I did in 1997 when I interviewed at Tattnall,” Hiller said. “And Barney Hester sat right there and he said, ‘Joey, I want you to bring Stratford Academy’s baseball program to Tattnall.’

“I was so pumped up and energized and ready.”

And is again.

“Basically, that’s what (Peach County) said,” Hiller noted. “ ‘Joey, here’s what you’ve done at Tattnall. We want that at Peach County. Come do it.’”

          “Man, I was 25 back then, and I feel like I’m 25 again.” 

‘New’ football boss at Mount de Sales

          Mount de Sales doesn't hype much in its athletics program, and kept things on the same quiet wavelength with hiring its ninth head football coach.

          The school announced only on its website - no social media, no releases – in February  that Gray Yates had been promoted to head coach to replace Keith Hatcher, who resigned in December to take over at ACE.

          Yates has been the Cavs' offensive line coach for seven seasons, joining the program in Hatcher's second season. He came to Macon from Harding Academy in Memphis, where he was the school's director of admissions as well as a coach on the junior high level.

          He had coached at his alma mater, Harding University, a Division II program in Searcy, Arkansas. He got his Bachelor's from there in 2006, after playing quarterback for the Bisons, and then his Master's.

          Hatcher went 46-39 in eight seasons with a GHSA region title. He succeeded Robert Slocum, 134-134-2 in 23 seasons with two region and one state title in GISA competition.

 

Basketball carousel spinnings

          Gavin Chapman resigned from the FPD boys job back in early April, and where he was headed – it was a full family decision – hadn’t been determined.

          As it turns out, he’s not far away, having landed as the head boys coach at Strong Rock.

          Strong Rock was a GHSA region foe of FPD, and they’ll be facing each other again in the GIAA.

          Chapman went 75-26 in four years at FPD, the Vikings reaching the GHSA Class A Private Final Four last season. He led the Vikings to a 19-3 record over local rivals Stratford, Tattnall, and Mount de Sales.

          Former Mary Persons head coach Greg Nix replaces Chapman. …

          Darrell Lockhart returned to the Upson-Lee boys program back in mid March, and now the girls have another new boss with Monte Killins.

          He succeeds Stephanie Raines, who resigned after last season.

          The Upson-Lee girls had a quality 2020-21 season, reaching No. 1 and earning their first trip to the Final Four in U-L history. It earned them a “day” and proclamations after the season.

          But they followed the 23-1 season by going 4-15

          That caps the major changes at Upson-Lee on the court after a tumultuous year with both programs, between suspensions galore on the boys side and a brawl with Jackson’s cheerleaders last February on the girls side.

          Killins is the new head girls coach. He comes from Lee County, and had been a basketball coach at Mitchell-Baker and Hancock Central, according to his LinkedIn account.

          West Laurens promoted Tyler Rogers to head girls basketball coach in March.

          Rogers is the son of longtime Bleckley County coach and administrator, and now retired, Benji Rogers.

          The Raiders’ new girls hoops boss has been in Laurens County since a year at Villa Rica, and has coached football as well. …

          David Gallagher took John Milledge boys basketball to a state championship, and he’ll now try to do the same at Franklin Road Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, taking that job in late April.

          Gallagher, who was interested in the JMA head of school vacancy, was also dean of students at John Milledge. He went 161-45 in eight seasons, with two GISA Class AAA runner-up finishes and the state title.

          The school announced the promotion of Mitch Risley as his replacement. Risley has been an assistant with the Trojans for a few years while also leading the boys soccer program. …

          Assistant Derrick Arrington has been promoted to head girls basketball coach at Putnam County.

          Robert Strong is moving a from one Central Georgia girls basketball program to another, as head coach at Jasper County to Lamar County. ...

          As per the website Sandy’s Spiel, there are still area openings with Twiggs County, Dodge County and Mary Persons boys, and with the girls at Rutland, Jasper County, and Washington County looking for coaches.

          More basketball updates are coming in the next Carousel roundup.

 

Around the Central Georgia carousel

          Peach County has undergone some shuffling.

          Todd Cooper was let go as offensive coordinator and reassigned to the middle school, but quickly moved to his new job at Fitzgerald as an assistant.

          The Trojans replaced him with Ben Bailey, who had two stints at Houston County, as well as stops at Dooly County, West Laurens, and Lee County.

          Ironically, his fourth game as offensive coordinator at Houston County in 2019 - he coached receivers in his first stint - was a 32-31 win over Peach County. …

          Former Fort Valley State defensive back standout Bernard Goodrum turned one season at Jones County into a head coaching job.

          Goodrum was named head coach at BEST Academy, GHSA Class A Public program in Atlanta that will be in AA in 2022.

          Goodrum, a former defensive back at Fort Valley State, will be the Eagles' second head coach. The program has had one winning season since starting in 2011. ...

          Also as expected, Keaton Wilson has officially joined the Dublin staff.

          Wilson moves from Enterprise, Ala. after three seasons with former Valdosta head coach Rick Darlington. Before that, Wilson was at Jefferson County. ...

          Tattnall lost offensive coordinator Mickey Daniell, a longtime Central Georgia coach who had been out of the business full-time for several years after getting a job at Georgia Power.

          With the graduation of his son, who, this year, Daniell decided it was time to get off the sidelines and maybe into the stands.

          Jordan Brooks shared coordinator duties with Daniell and takes over the job himself.

          Defensive coordinator Clint Kent left for a similar position at Mary Persons, and head coach John David Abernathy will assume the DC job.

 

Central Georgia connections

          Former Peach County head coach Rance Gillespie made a quite surprising move.

          He has gone from GHSA Class AAA Hart County to Class A Private Brookstone in Columbus, going across the state to a program leaving the GHSA for the GISA's athletics arm this fall, the GIAA. It'll be Gillespie's first job in the private-school association.

          Another former Central Georgia head coach will remain on the staff. David Bruce, who got the program started at Veterans, will stay at Brookstone and become the defensive coordinator.

          Gillespie succeeds Blair Harrison, 104-55 in two stints with the program. Gillespie is 147-78 in 19 seasons as a head coach, at Banks County, Peach County, Valdosta, and Hart County. He has had only five losing seasons, the two at Banks County as well as three at Hart County. ...

          Justin Rogers didn't remain unemployed long.

          The ex-Jones County head coach was eased out at Colquitt County after going WHAT in three seasons, and landed at Thomas County Central, a Class 6A program that will be in the same region as Houston County, Northside, and Veterans this fall.

          The Yellow Jackets played Perry for the spring game. …

          Former Washington County standout Terrence Edwards has a new job.

          He has gone from offensive coordinator at Class AA Pace to wide receivers coach and  pass-game coordinator/offensive coordinator at Class 7A Milton for new head coach Ben Reaves, promoted from offensive coordinator when Adam Clack resigned in early January.

          Reaves is the son of Ben Reaves Sr., who went 32-31 in six seasons at Putnam County from 2007-12. ...

          Larry Harold's latest stop is metro Atlanta.

          Harold has been hired as the new head coach at Central Gwinnett, after a year as an assistant at Cedar Shoals, after a year at Tennessee, after a year at Kentucky State, after a year at Sumter County, after a year at Central, after two years at Brunswick, after three years at Macon County.

          He was part of the major purge at Tennessee under Jeremy Pruitt amid a major investigation for recruiting improprieties. He was an offensive analyst/quality control coach with the Vols for the 2020 season, and part of a firing of seven staffers in January 2021, the same day Pruitt was canned.