Ensworth names baseball coach Jason Maxwell as new athletics director

Ensworth's national search for a new athletics director landed it inside its own school as Jason Maxwell was named to the position, the school announced Tuesday.

Maxwell replaces Ricky Bowers who will move into a new role as athletic administrator emeritus at Ensworth at the end of the school year. Bowers, who won five TSSAA state championships in boys basketball and four in football, will be an advisor to Ensworth coaches, including Maxwell and the athletic leadership. 

Maxwell, who also coaches Ensworth baseball, was selected after a nation-wide search led by an internal advisory committee.  

"Coach Maxwell's commitment to character and integrity, combined with his competitive nature and love of people, make him an ideal leader for our athletic department," Ensworth head of school Prentice Stabler said. "Jason is a leader with high expectations, one who takes care of the little things and never loses sight of the big picture."

Maxwell takes over an athletics department that has won more than 30 individual and team state championships in various sports in the past decade, including boys basketball, girls basketball, boys track and field and girls track and field.

The football program hired ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck last December to replace Roc Batten as head coach.

Maxwell has been a part of Ensworth athletics for the past 19 years serving as the school's first and only baseball coach. The former MLB player, who played with the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Tampa Bay Rays organizations, guided Ensworth to its only state Division II-AA state baseball tournament in 2019.

"I am beyond excited to be named the next athletic director at Ensworth, Maxwell said. "I am deeply honored and thankful for this opportunity. The Ensworth community has become such a special place for my family over the past twenty years, and this position is one that I cannot wait to embrace."

The Lewisburg native graduated from Marshall County as a three-sport star in baseball, basketball, and football. He played baseball at Middle Tennessee State and was named All-Ohio Valley Conference First Team in 1992 and 1993, helping the Blue Raiders reach the NCAA Tournament in 1992.

Maxwell has served on the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association (TBCA) and the American Baseball Coaches Association Diversity in Baseball Committee and as a coach for the TBCA Showcase Classic and USA Baseball teams.

"Coach Maxwell is a wonderful man and model of kindness," Bowers said. "Ensworth is and has been fortunate to have him and his beautiful family flourish in this community for 20 years. I am thrilled to know he will have this new opportunity and remain in this community for years to come."

Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.