7 Georgia baseball coaches hit a rare win milestone. We asked them one question
It’s been a season for the ages for some of Georgia’s most successful high school baseball coaches.
Six won their 600th games this season. Another won his 700th. Only 22 Georgia coaches in history have more than 600 wins, according to the Georgia Dugout Club.
“There are a lot of great coaches who have stayed in the game coaching a lot longer than they used to,” said Tim Morse, publisher of the Georgia Dugout Preview and the compiler of Georgia coaching records.
The seven coaches reaching landmark victories this season have combined for 25 state titles, and each will lead his team to the state playoffs, which begin Friday.
The AJC asked the seven to talk about their most memorable game.
The coaches found the task to be harder than a bases-loaded jam. A couple pitched around the question, unable to settle on just one. But each provided an answer full of fond memories and wise perspectives.
Joey Hiller, Peach County (723-185)
Joey Hiller got his 700th victory Feb. 14 with a 7-1 victory over Sandy Creek. He ranks sixth all-time in Georgia victories. Hiller spent most of his career at Tattnall Square Academy in Macon, where he won 11 Georgia Independent School Association championships. He became Peach County’s coach in 2022. His current team is 26-3 and ranked No. 9 in Class 3A by MaxPreps.
“Let me begin by saying that every win is special. State championship wins are even more memorable, and I could write about any and all of them.
“Having to choose only one, my most memorable and significant win came in 2000, during my second season as a head coach. Tattnall Square Academy completed a perfect 31–0 season and captured the program’s first state championship. We faced Stratford Academy — my alma mater — in the finals, and I was coaching against my former coaches and mentors, Bubber Adams and Bobby Hendley.
“After winning Game 1 of the championship series using our No. 3 pitcher on Friday, I planned to start our ace, senior Brandon Spillers, later a seventh-round draft pick by the Baltimore Orioles, on Saturday. But our No. 2, junior Josh Loosier, came up to me Saturday before the game saying, ‘Gimme the ball — I can’t lose.’ I trusted him. In the top of the first inning, he loaded the bases. Second-guessing myself, I yelled out there, ‘Get it in gear!’ I swear he looked in the dugout, smiled and winked at me and proceeded to give up no runs. We won the state championship easily and didn’t even use our best arm in the series.
“That team was dominant, hitting .407 and earning praise from pro scouts as the best they saw all year. That undefeated championship laid the foundation for Tattnall Square Academy. We would go on to win 11 state titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019).”
Mike Strickland, Marist (614-299)
Mike Strickland got his 600th victory Feb. 27 with a 15-0 victory over Northview. Strickland was South Forsyth’s head coach for eight seasons before coming to Marist in 2006. Marist won state titles under Strickland in 2010, 2011, 2017 and 2021. His current team is 16-13 overall and 13-1 in Region 5-4A.
Strickland chose not to highlight a single game, preferring to reflect on his career.
“I think, as a high school coach, the moments that are most remembered are the same moments in different seasons. When the goal is to produce better teammates, sons, brothers, friends, future husbands and dads, the game is just a vehicle to growth. Baseball, in my opinion, is the perfect vehicle because of how often you are faced with failure.
“In a society today with so much instant gratification and mobility to move on to the next thing if this thing is too hard, baseball — especially high school baseball — offers opportunities to learn lessons that have real value and impact on young men. It happens in seasons when young men continue to be great teammates in the midst of subpar performances, when young men rise to a level of play they were not sure they were capable of. And, quite frankly, you weren’t either.
“Those moments when teams fail and recover, when they turn the proverbial corner to get to the finish line. When the sheer joy of ‘getting hot’ at the right time is lived and ends in a dogpile. These precious moments have different faces, different years and different losses and victories — but they are the things that make the pursuit of excellence such an adventure through the vehicle of baseball, especially when you are fortunate enough to combine it with your faith.”
David Dinger, Heritage-Ringgold (612-306)
David Dinger got his 600th victory March 7 with a 6-4 victory over Gordon Lee. Most of Dinger’s victories came in Tennessee. He’s been coach at Heritage, a Chattanooga, Tennessee-area school, the past three seasons. His current team is 19-11 overall and 12-6 in Region 7-3A.
“The most memorable game came in 2006 while I was coaching in Tennessee at Lookout Valley. We were a very young team, mainly sophomores and freshmen. We made it to the sectional game and had to go to Friendship Christian, who was ranked No. 1 in the state. They were an older, talented team with a future major league player (Stephen Pryor).
“They got up early, and we had a big inning late to tie it. In the bottom of the seventh the score was tied and they had a runner on third with one out. We pick the guy off on third, get the next out and take it to extra innings. We score two in the eighth and they scored two in the bottom.
“In the ninth inning, we score three and get the three outs in the bottom of the inning to win 9-6. With two lightning delays and nine innings, the game took over four hours to play. This win got us in the state tournament.
“In Tennessee, only the final eight teams are considered the state tournament. When the brackets for the state tournament came out, we were paired with Forrest High School and faced future Atlanta Brave Mike Minor. That game did not go as well. To win that game with so much on the line with a very young group of kids will always stand out to me because they believed so much when probably no one gave us a chance.”
Jeff Rowland, Holy Innocents’ (615-285)
Jeff Rowland got his 600th victory March 12 with a 17-0 victory over KIPP Atlanta Collegiate. He’s best known for his time at Pope, where he won state titles in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2018. He became Holy Innocents’ coach in 2024. His current team is 21-7 overall and 7-1 in Region 5-2A and the No. 4 seed in the Class 3A-A Private tournament.
“All of the wins I’ve been a part of have been special in their own way. Each one has its own story — ranging from big moments like playoff and state championship games to smaller, meaningful regular-season victories. Choosing just one is incredibly difficult.
“If I had to pick, though, winning Game 2 and clinching the first state championship against South Forsyth in 2009 at Pope High School stands out the most. That 2009 team was the one that finally broke through and brought home the program’s first championship.
“It was a hot Memorial Day afternoon, and there was a huge crowd gathered at Pope. We had many talented teams and great players before that year, but this group was the one that got it done and set the standard for Pope baseball. There are a few moments from that game that I’ll never forget.
“First, Jon Mathews came up after failing to execute on two sacrifice bunt attempts. With two strikes against him, he turned things around and launched a massive three-run home run to give us the lead in the third inning. Later in the game, Connor Lynch hit a home run in the bottom of the sixth to put us up by two.
“Then came the final inning. We were leading by two in the bottom of the seventh, and South Forsyth had runners on first and second with one out and their best hitter at the plate. He hit a ground ball to third base, and Devan Cardenas stepped on the bag and threw across the diamond to first baseman Kenny Lotz just in time to complete the double play. That’s when the celebration began.
“It was one of the most satisfying feelings I’ve ever experienced. There were many days spent working on that field, wondering if we would ever win a state championship — and the 2009 team made it happen!”
Doug Jones, Prince Avenue Christian (607-309)
Doug Jones got his 600th victory March 24 with a 19-2 victory over East Jackson. Most of Jones’ 607 victories came at Mill Creek in Gwinnett County. He became Prince Avenue’s coach in 2025. His current team is 14-14 and the 10th seed in the Class 3A-A Private playoffs.
“Some of my best memories go back to the very beginning, just getting to share the field with all these coaches I idolized as a player and consider to be icons. Coach Buck Buchanan and my story is documented, as I played and coached with him at Parkview. (Buchanan was Parkview’s coach from 1976 to 2004 and won state titles in 1996, 2001 and 2002).
“When I got my first chance to be a head coach at Brookwood, we played Parkview and coach Buchanan that first year. I believe we split. We won the first time. I don’t remember all the details. I do remember the second time because they beat us 10-0 in five innings. It was quick and painful.
“We went to play in the finals that year, and that was fun until we got to play the national champion Lassiter Trojans, coached by Mickey McMurtry. That atmosphere and environment hasn’t been replicated. Everybody Lassiter rolled out there, including the two arms they threw at us, were Division I kids.
“Then at Mill Creek, getting to build our own program (from) scratch and watching it grow was by far the most incredible thing I’ve been a part of. First game we played we got to go to Wheeler and play coach Dave McDonald. I had so much respect for what coach McDonald meant for the game and still means. We won that game and went on to have a really nice season. That team will always be very fond to me for laying the foundation.
“Later I got to coach my son (Beau Jones), so family piece was very special. My son had a big hit in a playoff series at Walton (in 2017). The dad piece of you swells up with pride, so that was cool from that standpoint.
“But if there was a specific win, I don’t know what it is. I’m just beyond grateful for what’s been allowed to transpire in my career. I knew what I wanted to do at an early age. The impact that educators and coaches had on my life was profound.”
Tony Boyd, East Paulding (605-462)
Tony Boyd got his 600th win March 27 in a 15-2 victory over Rome. Some of those wins came at Pebblebrook and Holy Innocents’, but most of his success has been at East Paulding, where he has made 20 playoff appearances. His current team is 17-13.
“Reaching 600 wins is the result of a long coaching career and the privilege of working with many outstanding players along the way. This milestone reflects 43 years in coaching, including 39 as a head coach. There are certainly many games that stand out. One especially memorable moment was Zack Wheeler’s no-hitter in the second round of the state playoffs against Mill Creek in 2009.
“However, rather than focusing on a single game, I would like to emphasize how proud I am of the young men who have helped make this achievement possible. I am especially proud of the players at East Paulding High School and what they have accomplished over the past 20 years. The program has reached the state tournament in 15 consecutive seasons, including the COVID year when play was halted with a 9–4 record, and has qualified 18 times in the past 20 years. Sustaining that level of success is no small feat for a high school program.
“I am deeply grateful to every player I have coached. Their dedication and commitment have made this milestone possible.” (Wheeler pitches for the Philadelphia Phillies and is a three-time All-Star. He donated East Paulding’s scoreboard in 2010, the year after the Phillies drafted him in the first round, sixth overall.)
Chan Brown, Gainesville (609-205)
Chan Brown got his 600th victory April 2 in a 9-7 win over Chattahoochee. He’s best known for his time at Parkview, where he won six state titles and three national titles. This is his second season at Gainesville. His current team is 17-13 and won Region 7-5A this season.
“I would need to say that I have been very fortunate to be around a lot of good players, coaches and great families that have helped in the process of winning 600 games. The Parkview community was a very special place over my 20-plus years there. Every team brings its own characteristics and memories of its own.
“I must say that every state championship has been very special to me and my family. The memories and the relationships of all the championships, players, coaches and community is what I will cherish the most.
“But sitting here having to choose the most memorable win is pretty dang hard. But … I would have to say Game 3 of the state championship in 2011 versus Hillgrove.
“We went to the top of the seventh losing 10-8 and proceeded to score 13 runs in the top of the seventh to win 21-10. (In that Hillgrove game, the Braves’ Matt Olson, then a junior first baseman, hit a three-run homer deep over the right-field wall for a 13-10 lead in the seventh inning. Closer Jack Esmonde allowed no runs in the bottom of the seventh.)
“That state championship started a run for us that will be hard to match. Now we are trying to bring back the rich tradition of the Gainesville baseball program.”
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
