(By Don Meador, Allen County Schools)
The Allen County-Scottsville Patriot baseball team
will have a very familiar face leading the team next season. Brantly Bray---a
2012 Allen County-Scottsville High graduate and assistant coach for the last two
years---was introduced Tuesday, July 23, as the new head coach. Bray replaces
coach Scott Stamper who has retired.
“It feels unbelievable,” Bray
said. “This has always been my dream. It hasn’t set in yet. I love and respect
this program. (Longtime coach) Kerry Harwood brought me up in this program. I’m
excited and ready to get to work.”
Bray was primary a pitcher
during his playing days (2008-2012) at AC-S. During his time with the Patriots,
Bray was part of teams that won District 15 titles three times (2009, 2010, and
2011). After graduation in 2012, Bray was a five-year member of the Patriot
baseball team at the University of the Cumberlands. Despite la medical redshirt
season due to surgery, Bray stayed in the program and became a key contributor by
the time he graduated in 2017.
“I was part of a Mid-South
conference championship, a Mid-South tournament championship, and a World
Series appearance,” Bray explained. “I got to pitch in the World Series. I
played for coach Brad Shelton. I have the utmost respect for him. He has a lot to
do with how I see the game and how I go about coaching the game. He taught me a
lot and it aligned a lot with the way coach Harwood taught me the game---about
doing the little things right, paying attention to details, and being a good
teammate.”
After graduation from the
college with an undergraduate degree in Social Studies-Secondary Education, Bray
returned to AC-S to work and serve as an assistant under coach Scott Stamper.
“I had opportunities to go to other
schools and the opportunity to coach at the college level but this is the only
place I wanted to be,” Bray said. “I’m a Patriot, this is where I want to be. It’s
in my blood.”
Bray points out that serving as
an assistant under Stamper provided a hands-on learning experience---both in
game situations and program management.
“I couldn’t imagine anyone
treating me as well and trying to help me grow as coach Stamper has,” Bray
explained. “It goes past baseball. Coach Stamper allowed me to have a lot of responsibility.
In any decision he made, he was good about coming to me and asked what I
thought about this move or that move. He was trying to build me and help me
grow as a coach and prepare me for the setting I’m in now. The responsibilities
he allowed me to have included simple stuff---like how to work on the field,
how to plant grass, how to line things up. He taught me the tricks of the trade.”
Bray also points out that serving
as an assistant at AC-S presented the opportunity to get to know the current Patriot
players.
“I feel like I have a great relationship
with the players,” Bray said. “They are my guys. I love them and I tell them that
you play for Patriot baseball and that’s a little bigger than yourself. They
know my expectations are high and they respect that. I respect any guy that comes
out and is willing to put in the work we put in in order to make this program
better. That makes the transition easy when you know the guys have respect for
you and you have a respect for them.”
Bray inherits a team that lost
eight seniors to graduation---seniors that helped the Patriots capture the 2019
District 15 championship and win a Region 4 tournament game before falling in
the regional semifinals. Bray believes the success of last year will carry over
to 2020.
“With eight seniors, we
expected success and achieving that success was so important,” Bray noted. “The
success allowed the young guys to see what type of commitment it took to reach
that level. We also had some pups and next year, the program will fall in their
hands. Our saying is ‘pull the rope.’ It’s now time for them to pick up the rope
and pull.”
Bray recognizes the strength
of Region 4 baseball and believes that with hard work, dedication, and commitment,
AC-S will be able to compete with the area’s top teams.
“We play in a really good
district and region,” Bray explained. “It takes commitment day-in and day-out
and, hard work, and a commitment to success to complete with the big dogs in the
district and region.”
Coach Stamper announced earlier
this summer that he was retiring. Stamper served as head coach for the past
seven seasons, guiding AC-S to District 15 championships in 2016 and 2019. Prior
to that, Stamper had been an assistant with Patriot baseball for 16 years. Stamper
will continue to coach the AC-S boys’ golf team and teach physical education at
the high school.