H.S. BASEBALL: Fronabarger named coach at Crockett Co.

Less than two weeks after Michael Wickersham resigned, the Crockett County administration has moved quickly to name a new head baseball coach.

Crockett County found someone with plenty of experience in former Union University coach Brent Fronabarger.

Fronabarger resigned from Union in the middle of May to spend more time with his family.

“To be honest, when I stepped down, I had no intention on coaching past the 5-and-6-year old group that my son plays in,” Fronabarger said. “It was one of those things that I knew that I would coach again, but with college baseball, I was just gone so much.

“The Crockett County job came along out of the blue, and I went up and met with the guys up there. They were good to me up there. It was a good fit for me, but more importantly a good fit for my family.”

Fronabarger has two sons – Brady (7) and Landry (4) – and he wanted to be more involved in their activities.

“There is no recruiting, no fall ball to worry about and no overnight trips,” Fronabarger said. “I can do what I enjoy, which is coach and work with kids.”

Crockett County was not the first school that called Fronabarger, but the Cavaliers just seemed to be the right one.

“A couple called over the summer, and I told them that I wasn’t interested,” he said. “Crockett County allows me to keep my kids in the same school.

“I come from a small town, and there is just something about small-town athletics.”

Fronabarger takes over a Crockett County team that has been on the rise and is one season removed from a berth in the Class AA state tournament.

“The first thing is that you have to coach the kids that are here to the best of your ability,” he said. “Help them improve and get better.

“Then you can go and lay the foundation with the youth and JV programs. In the long run, that will give you stability. In a place like Crockett County, you can have an influence on the youth league. You have the opportunity to go in there and keep building.”

Fronabarger is off at the 5-and-6-year old world series, so he has not had the opportunity to meet with the players and parents.

“I plan to meet with most of the players and parents next week,” Fronabarger said. “This should be an easy transition.”

Fronabarger was at Union for 18 years with 10 of those as a head coach. He accumulated a 273-203 record as a head coach.

Michael Odom, 425-9754