New Athletic Officer - Lexington Post 8

Thought some may be interested, since there was so much talk about Post 8 last summer and the fact that it was Jim Lippard's last hurrah.

From the Lexington Dispatch..............

Rohrbaugh is new Legion AD
By BRUCE WEHRLE
The Dispatch

There was no way that Nevin Rohrbaugh was going to be the new athletic director for the Lexington-Davidson American Legion baseball team.

No way.

But Jim Lippard, the departing athletic director who'd been with the team for 21 years, had other notions.

"When Jim asked me this summer if I would be interested in doing the job, I told him no way," Rohrbaugh said. "I have my own job to do, and I'm also going to Catawba to earn my undergraduate degree.

"I just couldn't fit it into my schedule."

But Lippard was persistent. When Lexington-Davidson made it to the state championship series in August, Lippard asked Rohrbaugh once again.

"This time, I could tell he was really serious abut it," Rohrbaugh said. "I told him I'd consider it."

That was the open door that Lippard needed.

Rohrbaugh, 47, recently agreed to take the position - with a condition.

"Jim said he'd help me with it this summer and show me the things I need to do," Rohrbaugh said. "There's quite a bit of work to do, but Jim's done it for so long he makes it sound like it's nothing more difficult than going to the water fountain for a quick drink.

"But I'll work with him as closely as I can to learn what needs to be done in the future."

The job can be chaotic and time consuming. In addition to creating schedules every spring, the athletic director is primarily responsible for taking care of and distributing uniforms, keeping track of birth certificates and player eligibility, providing transportation to away games and fund raising.

"Jim said he's going to continue to help with the fund raising," Rohrbaugh said. "He still has all the contacts, and he knows all the faithful people who'll support the team.

"Jim has just done a heckuva a lot to get the program to where it is today. When it's my turn to carry the torch, I want to do it right."

Lippard, for his part, said he's excited to have Rohrbaugh come on board.

"I think he's going to be fine," Lippard said. "He loves baseball, which is very important, and he's very conscientious. I feel real good about him taking the position."

Lippard said that he'll work with Rohrbaugh this year to groom him for the future.

"Then I'll finally be able to sit in the stands and watch the games," Lippard joked.

Rohrbaugh said he is a big fan of baseball.

"I grew up in Winston-Salem and played on a national Little League team," he said. "Then I got to play a little bit at Atkins High School. I also played slow-pitch softball for Smokey Joe's for years."

There's no question that Rohrbaugh will be busy this summer. In addition to attending classes at Catawba on Monday and Thursday nights, he is also in partnership in a company called Door Tech, with Kent Herman and Martha Martin. It's a business they bought in 2004 from PGT Industries.

On top of that, Rohrbaugh did some radio work last summer helping to broadcast Lexington-Davidson games over WLXN. He hopes that opportunity presents itself on occasion this year, too.

"It's going to be a lot of work to try and learn everything, but it's also a way for me to give back to the kids and the community," Rohrbaugh said. "I really am looking forward to it."

 

Lexington Legion

Does anyone know who the head baseball coach is for the Lexington Legion team and how long he has been there...thanks

 

Matt Griffin has been the Head Coach for about 5 years. Matt (in my estimation) was fully responsible for Post 8's amazing run last summer. He batted .1000 in making key decisions from day one. The team had only 2 veterans, & so the dugout resembled a nursery. The players fed off Matt's cool confident demeanor.

 

Lefty from Post 8

we drew post 8 in the first round in cherryville and their lefty ate our lunch. we came in averaging 5 or 6 runs a game, and managed just 2 hits. that still may be one of the top three games i've witnessed a kid pitch. he wasn't overpowering, he didn't have nasty stuff, he just kept the ball down, kept us off balance, and didn't make mistakes. it was impressive and at the time frustrating as all get out.