AAA Coaches, Player of Year honored

The baseball Pirates made school history by earning the AAA State Championship title and members of the team also earned top awards including AAA Coach of the Year, AAA Assistant Coach of the Year and AAA Player of the Year. Head coach Don Hanson was name the AAA Coach of the Year. ’What an honor it was to be selected by the coaches of the state of Georgia for this award,’ he said. ‘Countless hours of practices and games has paid off in a big way.’ Hanson will soon start his 17th year as head coach of the Pirates baseball team and under his direction, the team has won 387 games, only losing 115 in that time. ’There have been so many people, coaches and players who have influenced me – not just over my career – but throughout my life. I’m a very blessed man who loves teaching and coaching young men and women. I truly believe that God has put me in this profession to make a positive difference in their lives,’ said Hanson. ‘Most people would be surprised how much a player will open up to his coach, once he sees how hard his coach will work for him. You never know what trials a child is going through until they share with you their struggles. We open our hearts and arms to these young men and they walk right in to our lives forever.’Blake Parrott was named Assistant Coach of the year and he will soon start his fourth year with the Pirates. ’Having Blake as an assistant coach is a coach’s dream. Blake actually played for me when he was a student here at Pike. He knew coming in what it means to be Pirate. He knew how I coached and what the expectations would be. His knowledge of the game and his work ethic are excellent. He is a perfect fit for our program,’ said Hanson.Coleman Crow was named the AAA Player of the Year. He is currently in Tempe, Arizona making a name for himself in the Los Angeles Angels’ farm league at an invitation-only work out for top pitching and catching prospects. He left at the end of December to train and will start spring training in March after a short visit back home to Pike. ’Coleman Crow is a perfectionist. He is never satisfied with his game. He works tirelessly to better himself in everything he does,’ said coach Hanson. ‘Everyone knows his name because he was such a standout player, but what most do not know is how good of a student he was. He graduated with a 4.2 GPA and took only college classes his senior year. Coleman’s work ethic is his strongest attribute.’Crow, a 2019 Pike County High School graduate, was drafted in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He pitched 70.2 innings for the Pirates in his senior with only 11 walks, an amazing 145 strikeouts and an Earned Run Average of only .991. He was just as strong at bat with a .454 batting average, 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, 60 runs scored and he only struck out six times in 151 plate appearances.’It’s been an amazing year for the Pike County Baseball Program. We topped it off by winning a state championship for the first time in school history. I just want to thank the Los Angeles Angels for giving me this opportunity to play at the next level. Big decisions ahead,’ said Coleman Crow. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in Round 28 of the draft and had been offered a baseball scholarship by Kennesaw State. He is a six foot, 175 pound right handed pitcher and he also hits right handed. The baseball Pirates made school history by earning the AAA State Championship title and members of the team also earned top awards including AAA Coach of the Year, AAA Assistant Coach of the Year and AAA Player of the Year. Head coach Don Hanson was name the AAA Coach of the Year. ’What an honor it was to be selected by the coaches of the state of Georgia for this award,’ he said. ‘Countless hours of practices and games has paid off in a big way.’ He will soon start his 17th year as head coach of the Pirates baseball team and under his direction, the team has won 387 games, only losing 115 in that time. ’There have been so many people, coaches and players who have influenced me – not just over my career – but throughout my life. I’m a very blessed man who loves teaching and coaching young men and women. I truly believe that God has put me in this profession to make a positive difference in their lives,’ said Hanson. ‘Most people would be surprised how much a player will open up to his coach, once he sees how hard his coach will work for him. You never know what trials a child is going through until they share with you their struggles. We open our hearts and arms to these young men and they walk right in to our lives forever.’Blake Parrott was named Assistant Coach of the year and he will soon start his fourth year with the Pirates. ’Having Blake as an assistant coach is a coach’s dream. Blake actually played for me when he was a student here at Pike. He knew coming in what it means to be Pirate. He knew how I coached and what the expectations would be. His knowledge of the game and his work ethic are excellent. He is a perfect fit for our program,’ said Hanson.Parrott excelled as a Pirates player and earned the Rawlings Gold Glove award in 2009 while playing first base for Gordon State College. He later became a coach for the Highlanders baseball team and coached first base when they made it to the JUCO College World Series in 2012 and earned third place in the nation while in Grand Junction, CO. Coleman Crow was named the AAA Player of the Year. He is currently in Tempe, Arizona making a name for himself in the Los Angeles Angels’ farm league at an invitation-only work out for top pitching and catching prospects. He left at the end of December to train and will start spring training in March after a short visit back home to Pike. ’Coleman Crow is a perfectionist. He is never satisfied with his game. He works tirelessly to better himself in everything he does,’ said coach Hanson. ‘Everyone knows his name because he was such a standout player, but what most do not know is how good of a student he was. He graduated with a 4.2 GPA and took only college classes his senior year. Coleman’s work ethic is his strongest attribute.’Crow, a 2019 Pike County High School graduate, was drafted in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He pitched 70.2 innings for the Pirates in his senior with only 11 walks, an amazing 145 strikeouts and an Earned Run Average of only .991. He was just as strong at bat with a .454 batting average, 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, 60 runs scored and he only struck out six times in 151 plate appearances.’It’s been an amazing year for the Pike County Baseball Program. We topped it off by winning a state championship for the first time in school history. I just want to thank the Los Angeles Angels for giving me this opportunity to play at the next level. Big decisions ahead,’ said Coleman Crow. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in Round 28 of the draft and had been offered a baseball scholarship by Kennesaw State. He is a six foot, 175 pound right handed pitcher and he also hits right handed.