Hampton pegs Perkins as head baseball coach
Published 9:10 pm Friday, May 26, 2017
- Contributed Photo Hampton High School named Nicholas Perkins as head baseball coach Friday.
After nine years under coach Matt Hardin, the Hampton baseball team will begin a new era next season.
Friday, the school announced that Nicholas Perkins will take the reigns of the program, naming him head coach after Hardin retired at the end of the 2017 season.
“Today was my first official day on the job,” said Perkins. “We are in the beginning stages, and we are excited. I want to thank God. I want to thank Christ, my savior. I want to thank my wife, Heather, for her support. I want to thank my athletic director and principal Jeff Bradley for his confidence in me. I also want to thank former coach Matt Hardin for also having confidence in me. I feel blessed and humbled. I am excited to get started.”
Perkins will be coming in after the Bulldogs made their second appearance in a substate game in the school’s history, a success the new coach hopes to continue.
“I want to congratulate, coach Hardin, coach Ellis, coach Ailport and the 2017 Hampton baseball club on an amazing postseason run,” said Pekins. “If you do it once, you can do it again. Those returning players shouldn’t have to be convinced they can do it. They proved that this past season.”
Perkins coaching history includes stints as an assistant coach and head JV coach at both Happy Valley High School and Johnson County High School. Perkins also served as an assistant at Emory & Henry College.
Perkins, who was affiliated with the National Pitching Association this past year, believes the game of baseball starts at the mound.
“The success in baseball starts 60 feet, six inches from home plate on the pitching rubber,” said Perkins. “With the new pitch count and rest rules, developing a deep pitching staff is more important than ever. You have to have guys that know how to pitch and make adjustments and not just throw the ball over the plate.”
At the plate and on the basepaths, Perkins philosophy is simple—be creative and aggressive.
“Offensively, coaches around the country want players who know how to pound the ball, and we do too, but we also want a versatile offense” Perkins added. “We want to be able to manufacture runs when need be. We want to put pressure on opposing clubs with a motion offense. So we definitely want to have an aggressive offense.”
Perkins, who is from Johnson County, has taught at Hampton High School for the last two years and is not a stranger to the school.
“Being on campus the last couple of years, I have been able to get to know some of the players,” said Perkins. “I have been able to develop some relationships, so it won’t be brand new to them.”
