Dugout leaders will change at Central, Jackson

As local high school baseball teams begin district tournament play this weekend or early next week, it's worth noting that the two biggest schools in the Southeast Missourian coverage area feature baseball coaches preparing for their final games with their current squads.

Steve Williams and Tatum Kitchen hope the end comes later rather than sooner, meaning their teams make deep postseason runs.

Williams is wrapping up an impressive 22-year run in charge of the program at Central, where he was a star athlete before graduating in 1980. He later went on to become one of the top baseball players in Southeast Missouri State history -- setting the school career home-run record that still stands -- and reached the Class AAA level in the Phillies organization.

Willams, who led Central to the 1994 state championship, isn't getting out of coaching. He is taking advantage of an opportunity to draw his Missouri teaching retirement while going to work for the school district in Smyrna, Tenn. -- near Nashville -- where he will assist with the football program but won't coach baseball, at least not right away.

Kitchen's run has been much shorter than Williams. The son of former longtime Central baseball coach Terry Kitchen, who led the Tigers to four final four berths, has only directed Jackson's program since 2010.

But Kitchen -- also a star athlete at Central who played baseball under Williams before graduating in 1998 and then played football at Southeast -- has made his mark during his four-year run, leading the Indians to the 2010 district title and last week's SEMO Conference tournament championship.

While Williams will remain in coaching, Kitchen is stepping away from education to begin a career in the insurance business, although he's still plenty young enough to get back into coaching if he so desires.

I have known Williams ever since he played for the Capahas in the 1980s and then throughout his coaching career.

I have known Kitchen ever since he was just a kid running around the dugout of his dad's teams, then throughout his days playing sports at Central and Southeast leading up to his relatively brief coaching career.

Both made their impression on me as not only top-flight coaches but also really good guys.

They both will be missed on the area coaching scene, but here's wishing them all the best in the future.

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While Jackson recently named Bryan Austin as its new baseball coach beginning next season, Central is in the process of conducting interviews to find Williams' replacement.

I've also know Austin -- Kitchen's current assistant and a 2002 Jackson graduate -- for a while, and he should do a great job in his first varsity head coaching assignment.

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Congratulations to Randy White for his recent induction into the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was enshrined as part of the 10-member 2013 class during a ceremony at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield.

White compiled a 467-231 career record during stints coaching girls basketball at Scott City and Delta. He was an 11-time conference coach of the year, a six-time region coach of the year and the 2008 MBCA coach of the year. He led teams to six conference and 11 district titles while directing squads to the final four in 2003, 2006 and 2008.

I had the fortune to cover a host of White's games and, not only was he a great coach, he was also one of the classiest men I've ever encountered.

Also inducted in the 2013 MBCA Hall of Fame class was Rod Gorman, who coached Central's boys for five seasons before departing after the 1995-96 campaign.

Gorman is 507-221 during stops at Bourbon, Festus, Central and the last 17 years at Logan-Rogersville near Springfield, Mo. He led Festus to the 1991 Class 3A state title.

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This news has been out there for several days, but for people who missed it, Leopold High School senior guard Kyle Stroder has accepted an invitation to join the Southeast men's basketball program as a walk-on.

Stroder was a Class 1 all-stater for the Wildcats and recently earned Southeast Missourian player of the year honors.

It will likely be difficult for the 6-foot-5 Stroder to carve out much, if any, playing time with the Redhawks during the 2013-14 season, but if he sticks with it, keeps working hard -- everybody I talk to says a fantastic work ethic is one of his strengths -- and continues to improve, you never know what the future might hold.

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Former Southeast women's basketball coach John Ishee has changed assistant jobs at Division I programs in Texas. He'll now be teamed up with ex-Southeast men's assistant Zac Roman, who served as the Redhawks' acting coach for one season.

Ishee, who spent this past season at Lamar University, was announced last week as the associate head coach at Texas-Pan American.

Ishee made the move after former Lamar coach Larry Tidwell, who hired Ishee last year, recently took over the UTPA program.

Also announced last week as a UTPA women's assistant was Roman, who spent the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons as head men's coach at Highland Community College. He led the junior college in Freeport, Ill., to a two-year record of 51-16.

Roman served as Southeast's acting men's basketball coach during the 2008-09 season following the firing of Scott Edgar. Roman was an assistant under Edgar in 2007-08.

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The Plaza Tire Capahas summer baseball team will hold tryouts/practice sessions the next two Sundays at Capaha Field. Times are 6:30 p.m. Sunday and 3:30 p.m. May 19.

Interested players must have completed their American Legion eligibility. Interested players still involved in their college seasons are, by collegiate rules, not allowed to work out but they can still attend, or they should inform the Capahas of their interest to try out.

For more information, call 979-1089.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.