Lakeside seeks new baseball coach

Lakeside's next baseball coach probably will not be known until after Westside's playoff run ends.

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The Panthers' interim athletic director, Tim Reeve, said last week that Westside coach Gerald Barnes was his top target but that he was waiting until after the season to further explore Barnes' interest. T.J. Davis, the Panthers' junior varsity coach, also is in the running.

Reeve said he had contacted Barnes when the Panthers' coaching search began to tell him he was welcome to apply if interested but that an offer had not been made.

"That was the extent of that situation," Reeve said.

Reeve said after the job opened that he'd interview former Panthers coach Jay Matthews' assistants and that he might open the search if a teaching position came open.

Whether Barnes remains a candidate depends on whether the Columbia County Board of Education grants Lakeside another teaching position, Reeve said. If not, the job will probably go to Davis.

"If they give us more positions, there's the possibility we can expand our search," Reeve said. "If they don't, we've got very competent people here."

Until then, Davis will play the waiting game.

"My understanding is we're just waiting on coach Barnes," Davis said. "There's nothing I can say or do as far as the program itself until they make a decision."

Westside played a doubleheader with Lovett on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Class AA state playoffs. The Patriots are expected to honor Barnes by naming their field for him during a cookout on Friday.

Lakeside's baseball job came open when Jay Matthews left after 15 years with the program to coach baseball at Riverside Middle School.

Panthers' next AD to be decided soon

Lakeside's search for its next athletic director could end as early as Friday.

Interim athletic director Tim Reeve said the deadline for in-house candidates to apply was May 16 and that interviews would be conducted this week. As of the day before the deadline, Reeve had four potential candidates and said he would not look outside to fill the position.

"This is more of a time crunch than the others," Reeve said. "We need to get somebody in place and get them on board and get them started in the summer."

Reeve has served as both the school's athletic director and assistant principal since former athletic director Jody Grooms was stripped of the title for running an illegal football play last season.