RedWolves name Barkdoll coach

Jared Barkdoll is trying to take his hiring as the Florence RedWolves’ coach in stride.

But it was hard for him to hide his excitement when the team introduced him as coach Tuesday at American Legion Field.

Barkdoll might have spent his youth in the south-central Pennsylvania town of Greencastle, but Florence is now home. He spent his college playing days at Francis Marion, played two seasons with the RedWolves and is now an assistant with the Patriots.

After coaching this past summer as an assistant with the Thomasville Hi Toms, some of the RedWolves’ Coastal Plain League brethren, Barkdoll was hoping to lead his own team next summer. He just didn’t know he’d be able to stay home to do it.

“This is kind of a dream job,” he said.

“This is where I’ve spent the last seven years of my life,” he added. “I did a lot of growing up here. I’m originally from Pennsylvania and spent 18 years there. But I did most of my growing up here in Florence during my college years and I’m proud to say I went to Francis Marion and this is my hometown now.”

RedWolves management didn’t go into the offseason thinking it would have to hire a coach for the third time in as many years. But 2011 coach Blake Newsome, an assistant at UNC Pembroke, had to cut ties with the Florence team after the Braves promoted him to baseball recruiting coordinator and gave him additional duties within the athletic department there.

Newsome, a Turbeville native and former East Clarendon High School standout, was brought on when Russell Carter, the 2010 coach, left baseball to pursue other interests. Under Newsome this past summer, Florence finished two games below .500 in the CPL South Division and missed the postseason for the first time since 2001.

In true coach fashion, Barkdoll had a coach’s answer when asked about getting the team back to the postseason.

“It starts with recruiting and getting kids to come in here that will fit into what we want,” he said.

General manager Jamie Young said he and team owner Kevin Barth kept coming back to one name when they were poring over a list of coaching candidates a few weeks ago — Barkdoll’s.

One of the things that kept coming to their minds was Barkdoll’s loyalty to the RedWolves. He played two seasons for Florence. In 2008, he was injured part of the way through the year, ending his summer season. While most players in that situation would’ve packed it in and headed home, Barkdoll stayed with the team, helping out however he could.

“He hit fungoes to the guys, he was a cheerleader in the dugout and stayed with the team,” Young said. “That made a big impression on Kevin and me.”

That year also was as close as Florence has come to winning the Petitt Cup, losing 7-4 to Thomasville in the championship game.

“That (winning a title) is something we’ve never done and it’s something we want to do,” Young said. “And I think Jared wants it bad, too.”

The enthusiasm Barkdoll showed when Barth and Young interviewed him didn’t hurt.

“You could just see it,” Young said. “He was very excited about the opportunity to coach a team that he played for.”

There were risks, though.

Because Barkdoll coaches at Francis Marion, the RedWolves are not allowed to sign FMU players, many of whom have been popular with RedWolves fans during summers past.

“Obviously, that was a concern,” Young said. “Our fans here, they want Francis Marion players, they want Carolina, they want Clemson. That’s a big part of the business side of it, the players that are on the field. But with him being a former player representing Francis Marion and their following, we felt … Francis Marion is still being greatly represented by him being here.”

Barkdoll said he already has begun hashing out a potential roster with Young. And having played for the RedWolves, Barkdoll already has inroads with former coaches, like Oral Roberts University’s Wes Davis, and others in the RedWolves’ network, to help direct him toward potential players.

“This is very comfortable,” Barkdoll said. “I know Jamie, I know Kevin. This is my hometown now. This is a very comfortable situation. This is a great opportunity and an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Barkdoll was a four-year starter at catcher for Francis Marion from 2005-09 and is starting his third season as an assistant for the Patriots. He owned the FMU career records for RBI (162) and total bases (364) when he finished his college career, although the RBI mark was surpassed last season by Preston Shuey. He was an All-Peach Belt Conference and All-Southeast Region player as a senior.