GAYLESVILLE – Steve Baker remembers the days the Gaylesville softball program played its home games on the Trojan football field. Many others were played on baseball diamonds.
“Not many schools had (softball) fields,” Baker recalls. “Of course the ball could take some funny bounces off the pitching mound.”
Baker has seen plenty of softballs bounce in different directions in three different terms as Gaylesville’s softball coach, but now he’s officially calling it a career.
Baker announced his retirement from coaching on Tuesday. The last six teams he coached made it to postseason play, including this year’s squad.
“I want to say that it’s been a long career filled with many memories,” said Baker, who pioneered the program in 1981 in its slow-pitch days and coached until 1985.
Baker also coached softball for a time at Spring Garden.
“In 1987, I was at Spring Garden and I think this was the first year there was playoffs for softball in Alabama. We had a good team. The Bright twins (Dana Austin and Jana McGinnis) were seniors, but as luck would have it, we didn’t get to compete in the first area tournament or whatever it was called back then because it fell on the day of the prom.
“A couple of years later, our team was made up of nine seventh graders. We took a beating for a couple of years but then we were good. All nine of those girls played for six years, and three of them ended up signing with Gadsden State.”
Baker’s second term at Gaylesville was in the late 1990s and coached several successful softball and volleyball teams.
“Sandi Wheeling was a good outfielder on those (softball) teams, and her senior season was the first year of fast pitch,” Baker said. “I fell in love with that sport. Of course, Sandi ended up teaching at Gaylesville and serving as my assistant coach.
“That first season, I had a pitcher named Jennifer Aldridge who was amazing. She taught herself how to pitch. She threw a fastball and a changeup, but she could hit her spots.”
Baker coached through 2005, leaving the program on a high note. In 2004, the Lady Trojans were area champs. They finished area runner-up in 2005.
But his love for the game never left.
“I retired after that season, but was coaxed out of retirement by Sandi and came back and helped her,” Baker said. “We finished as runner up in the area to Spring Garden and advanced to regional play. I once again left the game and came back to Gaylesville and coached the 2018 team. We finished as runner up to Skyline and once again went to regional play. The 2019 team was runner up to Spring Garden and we went to the regional again.”
Baker was anticipating another successful season in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic wiped it out.
“Last year with four seniors on the team, we were all excited about our season especially after beating Fort Payne in an early season tournament,” Baker said.
When the all-clear was given for the 2021 season, Gaylesville made its return to the postseason. The Lady Trojans finished as area runner-up again to Cedar Bluff and secured a berth in the East Central Regional at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.
But Baker takes little credit for the success his teams have had.
“I’ve been fortunate to have coached some really great players over the years,” he said. “Gaylesville has a really good team coming back next year and I look forward to seeing them advance even further. I’ve been blessed to have worked with so many outstanding coaches in all sports at both Gaylesville and Spring Garden. I’ve worked with fantastic principals and assistant principals at both schools also.”