CHILDERSBURG, Ala. – Childersburg High School has its new head baseball coach.
Childersburg assistant coach Josh Podoris was named head coach, the school announced on Facebook Wednesday. Podoris, a Childersburg alumnus, graduated in 2009 and was a part of the program’s state championship in 2007. He played college baseball at the University of West Alabama.
He was an assistant football and baseball coach at Childersburg for the past three seasons.
“For me, it’s exciting, and it’s a dream come true getting to coach at a traditionally good baseball school that I played at, have a lot of good memories and a lot of good victories with,” Podoris said.
Childersburg Athletic Director Jonathan Beverly said Podoris has earned the position. As for expectations, Beverly said he is looking for continued improvement.
“The expectation is for the program to continue to move in an upward trend each and every year,” Beverly said. “Be better than the year before and, for the overall program, I would say the expectation is for him to steady the program, for him to right the ship, which we have the utmost confidence that he will be able to do.”
Podoris is focusing on his team when it comes to goals for the program.
“Moving forward, I want our guys to play hard and always, always, always control their attitude and effort,” Podoris said. “I feel like, if you control those things and you play the game hard, the wins and losses will take care of themselves.”
Beverly said Podoris’ passion for the school and students made him an attractive hire.
“He’s there for every single kid at Childersburg,” Beverly said. “Whether they are an athlete or a student in his class or someone he sees in the hallway, he is there for every single kid at our school. He is there for all of our faculty members and coaches. He is passionate about people, about kids, about doing things the right way.”
Beverly said the hire was a “no-brainer.”
Childersburg High School Principal Quentin Lee said Podoris is a strong pillar in the school. Podoris teaches government and economics at the high school.