The Greyhounds began the state tournament earlier this week with a first-round series at McIntosh. When next season arrives, Jones County’s baseball program will have its third head coach in four seasons.
That comes following the announcement of a change of leadership for the JCHS baseball program, meaning that the tenure of head coach Mike Paulk will end at the end of the current season. Paulk was elevated to the position of head coach following the 2022 season when Jason Page stepped aside.
The Greyhounds concluded the regular season last week with a record of 16-12, twice the number of victories as a season ago.
“Coach Paulk has done a great job here in two years. A lot of factors come into play and a lot of stakeholders come into play here,” JCHS athletic director Chad Alligood said.
“We felt like it was time for a change in our baseball program and to bring in new voice and get our program back to what the expectations are in Jones County.”
The job was also publicly posted last Tuesday, and Alligood said that multiple individuals had already begun to apply.
“I think that this job will draw great interest. Everyone knows the tradition that Jones County has and how important that baseball is here,” Alligood said.
“I’m looking forward to having a really good applicant pool to choose from.”
So why announce a transition before the season even ends?
According to Alligood, it’s a matter of timing.
With the baseball postseason in the GHSA finishing as late as May 20, there’s a desire to get a possible job opening on the radar of potential coaches before they commit to other positions for next year.
“There’s never a good time in baseball because of how the season falls. We’re in the middle of hiring teaching positions now, and coaching jobs go with teaching spots,” Alligood said.
“If you wait until the end of baseball, it puts you at the end of May. We just felt like to get the best quality candidate, that now is the time. We wanted to take advantage of the hiring timeline, and baseball coaches know that.
It’s just the nature of the beast.”
In the midst of what’s ahead, there’s also the factor of the Greyhounds going into the postseason with a now outgoing head coach. JCHS capped the regular season with 11 wins of its previous 12 contests and seven straight victories at home.
“For me, I told them that everybody has a time, and for us, let’s focus on what we have in front of us,” Paulk said. “We’ll worry about that when it comes.
Right now, we want to finish on a high.”
As for what’s next for Paulk?
He’d like to stay in Jones County. Part of that, he says, has to do with his son, Trent, being on the team.
“I’ve got a son on the team that I’d like to see play,” Paulk said.
“My goal is to stay in the system.
I’ll let the Lord lead me where he will on that, but my goal is to see my kid play at Jones County.”
