Bladen Strickland has been named the baseball coach at West Bladen, the high school announced Thursday.
Strickland replaces Clint Allen, who resigned Oct. 28. The Knights were 17-5, won the Southeastern Athletic Conference championship and were the East’s No. 1 seed in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A playoffs in Allen’s lone season as head coach. West Bladen lost to St. Pauls 5-4 in the opening round of the playoffs.
Allen works as a program coordinator for the Bladen County Parks & Recreation Department.
“I know the talent they have coming back,” said Strickland, who is a 2017 graduate of Pembroke’s Purnell Swett High School. “I have watched them grow up since they were seven or eight (years old). It felt like it was a good opportunity to help guide them and, hopefully, get them to college ball and set them up better in the future for life.”
West Bladen lost five seniors who had at least 60 plate appearances from last season’s championship squad, but several players are eligible to return and the junior varsity was 8-4, outscoring opponents 116-64.
“He’s very eager to come in and help grow the program, both on and off the field,” West Bladen athletic director Brett Jackson said about Strickland. “He’s very dedicated to the game of baseball and to the fundamentals.
“He’s looking to come and get in the building to work at our school to be a part of not only the baseball program, but be a part of the school and the community and get the ball rolling,” Jackson said.
West Bladen doesn’t have any full-time staff openings at this time, Jackson said, but are looking at options for Strickland to spend time at the school. Strickland has a degree in Sports Management.
Strickland currently works with the Carolina White Sox showcase baseball organization based in Moore County. “We’ve sent 180 kids to college in the last three years,” he said.
As for his baseball philosophy, Strickland said. “Just doing the small things right whether it’s executing a bunt or throwing strikes on the mound. Make the simple plays.
“Baseball is a hard sport to play when you make it over complicated. I feel like if we can be disciplined for what me and my coaches are teaching, just do the small things right every day, we’ll be set pretty good come playoff time,” Strickland said.
Strickland played collegiately at Fayetteville Technical Community College and became the first player from the program to transfer to a four-year program where he played briefly for NCAA Division III member Keystone College.
Strickland has been the head varsity coach at St. Pauls High School, the head junior varsity coach at Purnell Swett and coached the Fayetteville Chutes in the summer collegiate Old North State League.