A change of plans has come about for coach Kenneth Wade
Just a couple of weeks after Wade was board approved by the Webster County School Board to become the next head coach of the Eupora Lady Eagles, Wade announced to his team earlier this week that he was stepping down. Wade has instead decided to become a full time assistant coach for baseball and softball at Starkville Academy.
Former Eupora baseball and East Webster softball coach Lee Berryhill has spent most of his career coaching with Wade. The two were also coaching together the last two seasons at Starkville Academy as Berryhill took the head coaching position of the softball program there.
“Kenneth will be a great asset to SA,” Berryhill said. “He’s good with kids, has a lot of patience and is a great teacher of the game. He’s been with me pretty much my whole career and we’re on the same page. He can run practice just as well as I can. Having two people that trust each other like that means a lot and I know that the families will really appreciate that as well.”
Wade, a Eupora native, assisted Berryhill with baseball at Eupora and also coached under Trae Embry with the Lady Eagles for several years before following Berryhill to East Webster. The two coached together in Cumberland for eight seasons until he helped Berryhill in a volunteer role the last two seasons.
His duties will increase with the Lady Vols including teaching full time with SA and assisting Thomas Berkery with the baseball team. Head of School Jeremy Nicholas said he is important to the school in more than just a coaching aspect.
“The thought of being able to hire somebody with both the knowledge of baseball and softball and working with Lee made it an easy decision,” Nicholas said. “He’s such a likeable, admirable guy that makes not just the team better but the school better. You want somebody like Kenneth Wade on your team.”
As for the Lady Eagles, they have already filled the position of head softball coach by putting former coach Clay Grissom back with the program. Grissom led the team to the playoffs this past season in his first year as a softball coach.
Athletic Director Alex Rawls said that they were pleased with the work that Grissom put in this past season and are looking forward to the team continuing to grow next year.
“I appreciate coach Grissom’s attention to detail and commitment to our school and our softball program,” Rawls said. “We are fortunate to have him.”
Robbie Faulk
Bulldawgs247sports/Starkville Daily News
662-803-2965
Twitter: @robbiefaulk247
