DEEP RUN — South Lenoir’s baseball program now belongs to David Combs.
Combs, a 25-year-old native of Wayne County, was officially named the Blue Devils’ next varsity head baseball coach on Monday.
The former Lenoir Community College and Mount Olive College right-hander came to Deep Run last semester as a physical education teacher after spending last school year at his alma mater, Southern Wayne.
Combs takes over for Tim Jenkins, who led the program for one season before leaving a few weeks ago for East Duplin.
“He’s very knowledgeable (in the game), he’s got a great rapport with the guys, and we just seem to think that he was a fit for it,” South Lenoir Athletic Director Lisa Smith said.
“This is a baseball tradition-rich school, and we think he’s going to continue on that tradition.”
In his last season at LCC Combs, a reliever, helped the Lancers reach the 2008 NJCAA Division II World Series in Millington, Tenn., where they finished as the national runner-up to LSU-Eunice. He also helped the Trojans to a top three finish in the 2011 NCAA D-II National Championships and back-to-back Conference Carolinas titles.
Combs went 7-1 with a 2.19 ERA in a team-high 21 appearances in his final season in a Trojans uniform.
While raw talent had a lot to do with those numbers, so did learning how to play the game correctly, which was something that was stressed at both LCC and MOC.
Combs plans on doing the same at South Lenoir.
“The biggest thing I think high school kids are struggling with now is the actual knowledge of the game in the way the game is supposed to be played,” he said. “That was something that was stressed very hard at Mount Olive and of course, LCC.”
South Lenoir doesn’t kick off the season until late next month, and Combs is already feeling welcomed by the Deep Run and Pink Hill communities.
Above all, he’s ready to get the season underway.
“The community has been awesome. The support of the parents is unreal around here at South Lenoir,” he said.
“The players seem like a hard-working group of guys. I feel very welcomed.”
MOSS HILL JUMPERS TO PERFORM DURING TONIGHT’S GAME: The Moss Hill Jumpers, a group of students from Moss Hill Elementary who perform with jump ropes, will perform at South Lenoir tonight during halftime of the girls basketball game against Richlands.
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.
