Mitchell coach runs out of juice

After two years as baseball coach at Mitchell, Scott Williams called it quits Friday, citing personal reasons as well as looking forward to a spring without coaching.

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published May 12, 2007

After two years as baseball coach at Mitchell, Scott Williams called it quits Friday, citing personal reasons as well as looking forward to a spring without coaching.

The longtime Pasco County coach, who has had stops at Hudson tennis, Gulf (football) and guided Saddlebrook Prep to four consecutive runnerup finishes at state, said a number of family health concerns contributed to his resignation.

"It was time to go, " Williams said. "There were some health issues that kind of put everything in perspective."

Williams said coaching baseball year-round, as many of his peers do in order to maintain successful programs, did not mesh with his duties as an AP U.S. history teacher and the head of Mitchell's social studies department.

"It was getting tougher and tougher each year, " Williams said. "It wore on me."

The Mustangs, whose lone senior was Spencer Williams, the coach's son, struggled early this season, often overmatched in a Class 6A district that included state powers like Alonso and Gaither.

But after starting 0-6, the team finished by winning nine of its final 19 games, notching wins over Zephyrhills, Ridgewood and River Ridge.

The Mustang job is one of two baseball openings in Pasco County, the other being Wesley Chapel.

Though it hasn't officially been announced, Sunlake recently hired longtime assistant Billy Garcia as its first baseball coach.

John C. Cotey can be reached at (727) 869-6261 or johncotey@gmail.com

[Last modified May 11, 2007, 23:09:23]