Franklin County High School officially named Kevin Goins as its new head baseball coach Wednesday.
Goins will replace Deron McDonald, who stepped down after last season after coaching the Flyer baseball program for 14 years and taking the team to the first round of the 11th Region tournament.
It was at that tournament where Goins said he first saw the team play.
“It is a new challenge,” Goins said on the phone Wednesday. “It was always an inspiration of mine to become a head coach at the high school level. You know, I’m tickled to death that Franklin County has enabled me to achieve the dream. I’m excited to be a part of Flyer nation and to bring a new exciting brand of baseball to the Frankfort area.”
Goins served as an assistant coach at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, where he helped the Bulldogs to a state championship. He played college baseball at Indiana University, and currently works as an instructor for Champions Sports Complex and serves as the head coach for the Kentucky Baseball Club 18 year old team.
Goins said he interviewed last Thursday and immediately headed to Atlanta to coach a traveling pitching team. He received a call from FCHS athletic director Tracy Spickard on Tuesday.
“Tracy phoned me yesterday morning,” Goins said, “actually right as I arrived at the high school site we were playing at, basically offered me the position and without hesitation, I said, ‘Absolutely.’”
Although Goins won’t be able to meet his new team until after dead period ends around July 10, he said he has “no major concerns.”
“It is definitely not the thing where Coach McDonald stepped down at the beginning of the season,” he said. “I have a full eight or nine months to implement my system, get acclimated to the players, get use to them, get them use to me, we’re kind of starting fresh in the offseason and building it from there.”
The Flyers finished last season (28-10-1) and had four seniors graduate, Zach Arnold, Nick Redmon, Logan Crum and Eric Meyer.
“From talking to people, I know they have some quality players returning,” Goins said. “I haven’t been able to meet with the parents and players yet to what is returning, but I’ve heard nothing but good things. I’m looking forward to it.”
Goins said he hopes to meet the players and parents soon after dead period ends and instill his “aggressive brand of baseball” into the team.
“I’m looking for nine guys that are on the same page and willing to put it all on the line, play the game right,” he said. “My stance is respect the game. The game has been good to me. I’m able to give back to these young men and hopefully teach them about the game of baseball that also bleeds into the big of game of life.”
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