By Sam Johnson/Special to The Messenger
Southside High School made the announcement on May 6 that Kevin Vinson would be its next head baseball coach.
The spot opened up when longtime head coach and assistant principal Shane Chappell announced he was stepping down from the position.
Vinson spent one year at Southside as an assistant after coming over from a successful run as Sardis’s head baseball coach, which included a run to the state championship series.
Vinson is an alumnus of Southside High School and was a standout pitcher in his days there. The new head coach sat for an interview about how he plans to lead the program. He was quick to express his love for his school and acknowledge his appreciation for the coaches in the school building.
Question: What does it mean to you to return to your alma mater as the head coach? Did you always think this would happen?
Answer: “Honestly, I still can’t believe it happened. The love I have for this school in general, not just the athletics, is hard to put into words. I started coming to athletics events here when I was just a baby, and didn’t miss many until well after high school. Although baseball will be my focus, I want all athletics at Southside to be successful and will give my full support to all our athletes and students.
Question: Which players or other resources will you rely on your first year to help make this a smooth transition?
Answer: “Losing only two seniors from last year’s team definitely helps when it comes to these players being able to rely on their experience. Being here under Coach Chappell for a year and being able to still have him in the building as an administrator to bounce ideas and thoughts off is definitely a plus. Also having Coach Will Smith still on staff who is familiar with all the players is huge. To me, the biggest key is being someone the players know they can trust. If the kids trust in my vision and the way we go about getting to our goals, the transition will be smooth.”
Question: What will a Kevin Vinson coached Southside baseball team look and play like?
Answer: “The main thing I want our guys to show is toughness in the competition while being understanding men off the field. We want to be the best, and to me that comes from the type of character you have. If you’re willing to do all the small things right then the big things fall into place. Outwork your competition, play harder than your competition, and hate to lose. If you can do those things, then you will have a good chance to be pretty good.”
Question: How will you measure success your first year on the job?
Answer: “Success can be measured in a bunch of different ways, but I haven’t really thought much about it. Our goal every year is to win a state championship, and to me if that’s not the goal, then why even play? I don’t really know how else to be happy at the end of the season. And if it’s not us then I hope we aren’t satisfied. This school has a great baseball tradition, and in my eyes if our goal is not to compete for championships, then you shouldn’t be part of it.”
