Hawkinsville’s Daniell coaching again, and is in the playoffs
David Daniell decided it was time to hang around the family a little more and especially watch youngest daughter Mary Claire get her softball career rolling.
So in May, he stepped down as the football head coach at Hawkinsville, while staying with the Pulaski County School District as its director of operations, supervising maintenance, facilities and transportation.
And for the first time in nearly three decades, he wouldn’t be coaching in the fall.
So he thought.
Fast forward to about three months later, when the softball head coaching position suddenly opened a few weeks before school started.
“There wasn’t time to find anybody,” said Daniell, still the school’s athletics director. “So …”
He became Coach Daniell again, taking over the softball program. It wasn’t a huge stretch, considering he was Westside’s baseball head coach for several years before he left for Hawkinsville.
That was in 2007. Daniell hasn’t manned a dugout since.
“Well, we’re winning,” he said with a laugh. “That’s always a good sign. We’re doing OK, I guess.”
Daniell, who led the Red Devils to the GHSA Class 1A public school state football title in 2014, apparently didn’t forget much baseball while away from the diamond, because Hawkinsville is in the GHSA Class 1A public school softball playoffs, and it is at home Wednesday against Portal.
The Red Devils are 16-8, a nice turnaround from a few losing seasons, and they are 16th in the Class 1A public power rankings.
Hawkinsville is batting .308 with 10 homers and averages 8.5 runs per game. The Red Devils have hit the 20-run mark four times. Five players are batting above .300, led by outfielder Kelli Long, who leads the Red Devils with a .433 average and three homers.
“She (had) struggled; she always batted No. 9 in the order,” said Daniell, who has kept her in the bottom half of the order but not ninth. “This year, we changed some things in the swing, and she’s wearing it out.”
Rebecca Johnson follows at .368, with Nadia Sloan (.338), Harley Marsh (.323) and Jurni Batten (.319) also above .300. Johnson leads the team with 25 RBI.
Johnson teams with Danielle Powers in the circle, Powers getting the bulk of the starts and innings, owning a 2.65 ERA and almost six times as many strikeouts as walks. The equation to success has been a simple one.
“The girls have done what I’ve asked them to do,” Daniell said. “They work hard. When they do that, good things happen. That’s basically what we’ve done.”
Daniell is, naturally, asked regularly about the transition for an old football and baseball coach to coaching girls softball.
“I’ve coached girls before,” he said. “I’m in a house full of them, so it’s not all that different.”
Also exposure to travel softball with two of his daughters gave him an up-close look at the game, which is only slightly different in reality than baseball.
“This is a lot faster,” he said. “If you bobble a ball at shortstop, she’s safe at first. If you bobble a ball at shortstop in baseball, you can still throw him out.”
He does chuckle at one major difference between his current job and his last job.
“Yeah,” he said, “I am more relaxed.”
GHSA Softball Playoffs
First Round
Unless noted, doubleheaders Wednesday. The first time is for the first game, followed by Thursday’s Game 3 time. Regions and finish are in parentheses, with ranking for Class A teams
Class 6A
Evans (Reg. 3, 4th) at Houston County (Reg. 1, 1st), 3:30 p.m./Game 3 TBA
Northside (Reg. 1, 4th) at Heritage-Conyers (Reg. 3, 1st)5 p.m./Game 3 TBA
Class 5A
Veterans (Reg. 1, 3rd) at Starr’s Mill (Reg. 3, 2nd), 5 p.m./Game 3 5:30 p.m. Thursday
Jones County (Reg. 4, 3rd) at South Effingham/Wayne County loser (Reg. 2, 2nd), Thursday if South Effingham, Friday if Wayne County
Class 4A
Salem (Reg. 4, 4th) at Mary Persons (Reg. 2, 1st), 5 p.m./Game 3 TBA
Luella (Reg. 4, 3rd) at West Laurens (Reg. 2, 2nd)
Upson-Lee (Reg. 4, 3rd) at Woodward Academy (Reg. 4, 2nd), 4:30 p.m. Thursday/Game 3 TBA
Perry (Reg. 2, 4th) at Eastside (Reg. 4, 1st), 4:30 p.m./Game 3 TBA
Class 3A
Brantley County at Rutland, 4 p.m. at Wesleyan/Game 3 TBA
Peach County (Reg. 4, 3rd) at Appling County (Reg. 2, 2nd), 2:30 p.m./Game 3 1 p.m. Thursday
Class 2A
Early County (Reg. 1, 4th) at Dodge County (Reg. 3, 1st), 2 p.m./Game 3 TBA
Fitzgerald (Reg. 1, 3rd) at Bleckley County (Reg. 3, 2nd), 4:30 p.m./Game 3 5 p.m. Thursday
Dublin (Reg. 3, 3rd) at Thomasville (Reg. 1, 2nd)
East Laurens (Reg. 3, 4th) at Berrien County (Reg. 1, 1st), 3 p.m./Game 3 5 p.m. Thursday
Pepperell (Reg. 7, 3rd) at Lamar County (Reg. 5, 2nd), 4 p.m./Game 3 1:30 p.m. Thursday
Monticello (Reg. 8, 3rd) at C.S. King (Reg. 6, 2nd), 3 p.m./Game 3 5 p.m. Thursday
Class 1A public
Portal (17) at Hawkinsville (16), 2 p.m./Game 3 TBA
Crawford County (21) at Telfair County (12), 4 p.m./Game 3 TBA
First-round bye: GMC (2)
Class 1A private
Mount de Sales (24) at Prince Avenue Christian (9), 2 p.m./Game 3 TBA
First-round bye: FPD (3) Tattnall Square (4), Stratford (5)
GHSA Volleyball Playoffs
First Round
Area and area finish are in parentheses.
Class 6A
Sequoyah (Area 6, 3rd) at Northside (Area 1, 2nd), Thursday
Class 5A
Grady (Area 6, 4th) at Veterans (Area 1, 1st), Wednesday
Class 4A
Jefferson (Area 8, 4th) at West Laurens (Area 2, 1st), Thursday
Oconee County (Area 8, 3rd) at Mary Persons (Area 2, 2nd), Thursday
Upson-Lee (Area 2, 3rd) at North Oconee (Area 8, 2nd), Thursday
Perry (Area 2, 4th) at St. Pius X (Area 8, 1st), Thursday
Class 1A
Darlington (Area 4, 4th) at Mount de Sales (Area 7, 1st), 5:30 p.m., Thursday
FPD (Area 7, 3rd) at Gordon Lee (Area 4, 2nd), 5 p.m., Thursday
Stratford (Area 7, 4th) at Mt. Paran Christian (Area 4, 1st), 6 p.m., Thursday
This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Hawkinsville’s Daniell coaching again, and is in the playoffs."