The Durant Lions didn’t have to look far for their next head baseball coach as Jimmie Wyrick has added the spring sport to his fall fast pitch softball duties.
Wyrick is no stranger to coaching both softball and baseball, having done both as recently as 2014 as the skipper at Atoka. It’s not like he has had the spring off during that 12-year span however, coaching slow pitch campaigns while at Broken Bow that included state championships in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
“I’ve been a head coach in this situation before and it’s all about getting in a routine and taking care of all those little things that head coaches have to do,” Wyrick commented. “It is a juggling act but if you’re organized it’s not that big a deal to have the head coaching responsibility of both softball and baseball since the seasons don’t overlap.
“I was on board with taking the helm when discussions began taking place. I feel blessed about the opportunity being presented to me. I feel like we can be successful in both sports here.”
Starting his third year at Durant, the head coach is not completely unfamiliar with the baseball program after assisting at the junior high level two years ago and at the high school level this past season.
Unlike a completely new skipper, he admittedly will have the advantage of knowing what most of the Lion squad is capable of, including the upcoming group of underclassmen.
“I’ve been involved with baseball the past two years so I am familiar with the guys, and they are familiar with me,” he said. “I coached the incoming freshmen as seventh graders and this past year coached the junior varsity team. I have been through practices with them and have a pretty good understanding where they are at. In the position I am stepping into, that is a blessing.
“We have a lot of talent coming back. I think we have a very talented freshman bunch coming in with a lot of skill that will be looking to adjust to the speed of the game at the high school level. The sky is the limit for the older guys if they get on the field and put the time in this off-season that is needed to be great. I think we have a good road ahead of us and a great opportunity to get back to the state tournament. We just need to get on the field, take care of business and we can do great things together.”
While the game seasons don’t overlap, Wyrick knows that summer play will be a definite juggling act with baseball and softball both getting reps in.
He plans to have a hand in both as well as his assistants in each sport.
“June can be interesting,” Wyrick added. “This June is definitely going to require a lot of juggling because I did not put together the baseball schedule but once we get the guys familiar with our routine, I have confidence it will work out great. We’ll get a lot of good reps and have a chance to develop. The guys will have time to relax but I expect them to get on the field and develop even more.
“The plan is already in place when I go full softball in July heading into our season. The non-football playing guys will work with Chris Haworth in the off-season program. He’s been gracious enough to donate his time to the program and he’s going to do what he can to continue developing these guys while I’m in fast pitch and I’ll roll in after softball is over.”
If someone could get frequent flyer miles on road trips, Wyrick could be racking them up en masse starting in August with both softball and baseball competing in districts with a plethora of teams three or more hours away at times in the Tulsa area.
That’s something he became accustomed to, however, while coaching both fall and spring seasons at Broken Bow.
“I’m a good road warrior,” he said. “Road trips are fun with a lot of camaraderie, and we’ve got plenty of them. When I was at Broken Bow, we had to travel a lot so I know the time it takes with those type of schedules. I’m looking forward to it though. We are going to play as many games as the state will allow in order to get us prepared for the playoffs.”
