Todd Griffin doesn’t recall how he came to be the baseball coach at Hebron Christian.
It was natural for the school’s headmaster to ask because Griffin’s son, Payton, was a member of the team, so there a natural connection.
But Griffin never pursued the job and was surprised the headmaster asked him to take the job after the previous coach left to take another position at a public school.
Years later, Griffin can look back and smile at his decision to accept the offer. Griffin can smile a little bigger because he and the Eagles closed the 2016 season in style by winning the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class A State title.
Hebron Christian’s 17-3 and 10-0 victories against Humphreys Academy in May helped the program win its first state championship. The title came on the heels of a successful year that also saw Hebron Christian’s girls and boys basketball teams win Class A State crowns.
“It was pretty special knowing Payton was a senior and knowing this probably would be my last year to coach whether it was park and rec or at the high school level,” Griffin said of winning a state title.
For his efforts, Griffin is The Dispatch’s All-Area Baseball Coach of the Year.
Hebron Christian (20-5) relied on a senior core of Payton Griffin, Landon Hill, Clay Faulkner, and Channing Tapley. Griffin and Tapley played key roles as pitchers, while Hill played catcher before a hand injury forced the Eagles to move Griffin to the position.
The injury was one of several bumps in the road Griffin and the Eagles had to navigate en route to the championship. After 23 years of coaching at least one team, Griffin has seen nearly everything. He said he started coaching his oldest son, Trey, when he was 5 years old. Whether it has been coaching Trey, his daughter, Brooke, or Payton, Griffin said he has tried to follow the same formula.
“I think I would like to be remembered by other coaches and parents as someone who had a character, integrity, and a little class on the field,” Griffin said. “I hope people remember me as someone who tried to teach their kids more than just the game of baseball.”
Cass Tapley, who coached his daughters on the Hebron Christian fast-pitch softball teams, has worked for several years with Griffin as an assistant coach. Their sons grew up playing youth baseball together in Houston, so Tapley has seen Griffin’s work in between the lines. He said Griffin’s “laid-back demeanor” has helped him relate to players and earn their respect.
“He was there to coach, to fill a need for the school, and to coach his son,” Tapley said. “Obviously he did a good job and kept the team and won a title.”
Tapley joked that he served as Griffin’s de-facto media liaison because Griffin wasn’t interested in the spotlight. Tapley said he grew so accustomed to his role that he could come pretty close to telling sports writers exactly what Griffin would say. Unfortunately, he didn’t get any kickbacks from Griffin for his efforts.
Tapley said Griffin he was tough when he needed to and relaxed when he knew he could sit back and let the players play. That mind-set didn’t include a lot of talk about winning a state title. In fact, Tapley doesn’t remember talking about winning a championship. That might have been because everyone on the team realized it was a reachable goal if they stayed focused and did what they had to do.
In the end, that was exactly what happened, thanks in part to Griffin’s leadership.
Griffin said he doesn’t know if he will return as baseball coach next season. He said he enjoyed all of the time he spent coaching his children and that he always tried to be fair with all of his players.
When asked if he approached the 2016 season any differently because his son was a senior, Griffin said he didn’t and that he tried like always to win each game. He credited the players for their hard work and perseverance that helped make the end of the season that much more special.
Griffin also said his maturation as a coach allowed him to be calmer on the sideline. He attributes his growth as a coach to his spiritual progression and willingness to turn things over to God and trust Him, which is why he was able to trust the players to get the job done, even if they hadn’t talked about winning a title.
“I have always told the kids I love them, and I do,” Griffin said. “I have always tried to preach to them more than the game of baseball and to pray before and after every game.
“We had a special group of kids. This group has been playing together since tee ball. They had a special bond and grew up playing together.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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