DOVER, Fla. — The baseball avid gamers that Ernie Johns coaches at Strawberry Crest High School may well be his grandkids.
“I have one kid here. I coached his dad at Brandon,” Johns mentioned.
But there is not any Grandpa Ernie right here, simply Coach Ernie.
“I can’t even tell that he’s the oldest guy out here,” Chargers freshman catcher Toby Highsmith mentioned. “He’s got such a fun personality. He’s great to work with, he’s great as a coach, he’s awesome.”
“For me, it’s never judging a book by its cover,” Chargers senior catcher Adrian Vo added.
Johns is quickly to be 69 years previous. He has two knee braces and makes use of a cane and a walker to get round.
“I love baseball. Family and baseball, dude. That’s it,” Johns informed ABC Action News sports activities anchor Kyle Burger. “I tell people all the time. I don’t hunt. I don’t fish. I don’t hang out in bars. If you want to find me, if you got a baseball game on, I’ll be there. That’s what I love.”
Johns used to be a walk-on catcher at Southeastern Louisiana University within the Seventies. He performed one season of sweet sixteen league ball within the Baltimore Orioles group. He started training at Brandon High School in 1990 and used to be there for almost 3 many years.
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Johns took a damage in 2018, then started to exchange instructing at Strawberry Crest High School. Head trainer Eric Beattie knew of Johns when he coached at Brandon and needed to get him on his staff.
“I found Ernie at South Brandon Little League back in the 90’s when I was playing there,” Beattie mentioned. “Then I found him again when I was at Riverview High School playing against Brandon. We just re-connected over the years. We’ve always gotten along and loved each other. Here we are. Teammates again.”
Johns is at each and every follow and each and every sport, bringing his distinctive point of view at the game. His uniqueness is training up the catchers.
“The little things turn into big things like feet work,” Vo mentioned. “Feet work has a big role on our throwing motion to generate more power.”
“Not only does he teach us the physical part of the game, but he also helps us with the mental side and making sure we’re in control and not in our own head,” Highsmith added.
Johns had a hip alternative on the finish of 2020. He used to be again at the box in March 2021. He’s due for a knee alternative quickly.
“I have the walker; kids say, ‘why you bring it out here now?’ It’s my own chair. I got a basket in the bottom. Bring stuff for y’all. I got a chart in there—everything I use. I got a chair anywhere I go,” he mentioned.
That’s no longer all he assists in keeping within the chair.
“He gives us Jolly Ranchers any time we ask,” Highsmith mentioned. “He gave all the catchers a bag. He said if we take care of him, he’ll take care of us.”
“(Baseball) is a people business,” Beattie mentioned. “That’s what we’re in. There’s a lot of great people in baseball and he’s one of them.”