By Brandon Hall
Director of Scouting, PBR NC

Follow us on Twitter: @PrepBaseballNC

The 2016 North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association (NCBCA) Convention took place this past weekend, December 3-4, at the Greensboro Marriott in downtown Greensboro, NC. The annual convention allows high school coaches from across the state to get together to go over rule changes, future planning, and continue their obsession with the great game of baseball. This year’s convention featured speakers from the high school and college realm, touching on all facets of the game. It also gives the state of North Carolina a chance to honor good baseball people and coaches for their impact on the game and on the lives of the young men they see each day.

Four coaches were honored in Greensboro with the ultimate award—induction into the NCBCA Hall of Fame. Kim Cousar, James Hyatt, Greg Simmons, and Ed Walton have all won a lot of baseball games in their time in a uniform. Each has also worked to be a positive influence on their players, while teaching the game of baseball, and ultimately preparing them for life outside of the game. President and Executive Director of the NCBCA, Hal Bagwell (head coach at Ardrey Kell HS) also used this time to honor a 2013 inductee, Sandy Gann.

Kim Cousar

A head coach at three schools across North Carolina since 1987, Cousar has amassed 445 career wins. Beginning his journey in 1978 as a junior high coach in Anson, Cousar has been a varsity head coach at Anson Senior HS and Butler HS, and is currently at Charlotte Latin HS. More than 80 players have gone on to play college baseball, while nine have signed professional contracts. Twenty state playoff appearances and nine conference championships have been capped by reaching the Western 4A Regional finals twice (2001 and 2002).

James R. Hyatt

An assistant at Franklin HS in 1981, Hyatt began his head coaching trek at Washington-Wilkes HS in 1984. Other head coaching stops included West Henderson HS, East Forsyth HS, and the Henderson County Legion. Hyatt has a career coaching record of 463-97 (.826 winning percentage), including 19 state playoff appearances in 22 seasons as well as winning the 3A title in 1992 at West Henderson HS. He has seen 75 players go on to play in college with six earning the ability to play professionally.

Greg Simmons

Simmons went to work at Charlotte Christian School in 1992 and is currently the head coach there, winning 570 games. He has a multitude of accolades, stemming from 13 NCISAA state titles and 17 conference championships. Consistency has been evident at Charlotte Christian, as they have 17 consecutive 20-win seasons, and three 30-win seasons in that span. More than 70 players have gone to play in college with eight playing professionally, including two first-round draft picks.

Ed Walton

Still active as an assistant at Charlotte Country Day, Walton made waves as the head coach at Carmel Academy and Charlotte Country Day between 1974-2011. He won 540 games, nine independent school championships, and 15 conference championships. Walton’s reach went beyond the baseball field as he was a JV football head coach for 24 years, officiated high school basketball for 30 years, was an official scorer for the Charlotte O’s and Charlotte Knights, and is the co-founder and director of Baseball For Life.

Sandy Gann

A 2013 NCBCA Hall of Fame inductee, Gann was honored in Greensboro so he could receive his Hall of Fame ring, an honor the NCBCA has worked to make sure each member of the Hall of Fame receives. Gan coached at Northwest Guilford HS from 1966-1998, winning 422 games and amassing 22 winning seasons in his 32 at the helm. His six conference championships and 12 state playoff appearances culminated in the 1998 4A state championship. At the time of his retirement, Gann was the fourth winningest active coach in North Carolina.

CLICK BELOW FOR FULL BIOS ON EACH HALL OF FAME COACH

>> Sandy Gann (Northwest Guilford HS)

>> Kim Cousar (Anson Sr, Butler, & Charlotte Latin)

>> James Hyatt (West Henderson HS)

>> Greg Simmons (Charlotte Christian)

>> Ed Walton (Charlotte Country Day)

*Thank you to the NCBCA for their work in providing content and information for this article.