‘Mainly I think it’s kind of time for me to just move on and focus on a few other things in my life’
By Kris Henry, Rogue Valley Times
Nothing was more welcomed for Nick Hall than when he was chosen to take over for the baseball program he once starred for during his prep playing days.
But after seven years as head coach, complicated by the 2020 pandemic, Hall has decided to move on from the Ashland High School baseball program.
Hall, 31, recently submitted his resignation. He finished his run with a 90-86 overall record, and twice helped the Grizzlies advance at least as far as the state quarterfinals.
“Mainly I think it’s kind of time for me to just move on and focus on a few other things in my life,” said Hall, who took over the program in 2016. “It’s a pretty big commitment to be coaching at the high school level. I’m just kind of ready to put that chapter behind me a little bit.”
Hall exits on a high note after guiding Ashland to the Class 5A state semifinals this past spring, sporting a 19-11 record overall and finishing runner-up in the Midwestern League to eventual state champion Thurston.
“I am very thankful for the opportunity to have coached at Ashland for the last eight years,” said Hall. “It has been a huge honor to give back to my high school baseball program, a program that meant the world to me growing up. I have had the opportunity to coach alongside some amazing men and got to meet, mentor and hopefully inspire some amazing young men along the way as well.”
“My main goal was always to share my love and joy for the game of baseball with everyone,” he added, “and to hold them to a standard of excellence so that they could achieve more than what they thought was possible of themselves. The memories that I have made coaching at Ashland will last a lifetime and I am so thankful for everyone that made coaching here awesome.
Ashland baseball has been like a second family to me throughout my entire life and it will always have a special place in my heart.”
To say Hall had a unique run as head coach of the Grizzlies might be an understatement. He essentially underwent three rebuilds, the first coming when he took over in 2016 and the second when Ashland shook off a 1-25 campaign in 2018 to go 16-10 and reach the playoffs in 2019.
The final rebuild came after the 2020 season was canceled and a regional spring season was cobbled together in 2021. In 2022, the Grizzlies went 17-8 overall and reached the state playoffs, giving rise to such optimism again this past spring.
“Looking back, I’m really proud of what we were able to accomplish over that timeframe,” Hall said. “When I first took the team over in 2016, they were kind of looking for some identity and some consistency and I think we were able to provide that.”
“I think we put ourselves right back on the map where I think Ashland baseball should be,” he added, “so I’m proud of that.”
Hall was part of Ashland’s state championship baseball team in 2008 and the second-place squad in 2010, so the ability to be the Grizzlies’ head coach provided a dream come true.
“If anyone knew me from back then,” he said of his high school days, “playing baseball for the Grizzlies was truly the most important thing in my life. So having that opportunity to come back and give back to that program, which meant so much to me, that really means a lot. That was pretty cool.”
While Hall said he will not be pursuing another baseball coaching position in the near future, he didn’t rule it out down the road.
“It’s something that I’ve grown to really love to do,” he said of coaching. “With my background in baseball and my love for the sport, at some point I’ll be out there again in some capacity or another. Right now I’m just kind of ready for a little break.”
Reach Rogue Valley Times sports editor Kris Henry at [email protected], 458-488-2035 or via Twitter @KrisHenry
