TEXARKANA, Texas - Pleasant Grove head baseball coach Riley Fincher received national recognition on Wednesday when the American Baseball Coaches Association named him the high school coach of the year.
Fincher, who recently led the Hawks (35-8) to a Class 4A state championship in Austin, was hard at work helping prepare for the upcoming football season when he received the call from ABCA officials forwarding him the news.
"When I received the phone call that I won the award as coach of the year, it was very humbling," Fincher said. "I teared up because of all the hard work that the kids and coaching staff put into this program. I wiped my tears away before I walked over to Josh (Gibson) while he was doing some offensive line drills and was like, 'Hey, I have to tell you something.' He was elated and happy for me and, after practice, he brought the team together and spoke about it.
"After that, it hit me once again and I teared up just thinking about it."
But for Fincher, it's more than a personal accolade. Instead, he thinks of it as a team effort.
"It's a team award and a coaching staff award," he said. "I'm fortunate that I'm the head coach here and the award falls in the hands of the head coach. It's such an honor and I'm elated to showcase our team and community."
Fincher, who was also named the Class 4A Coach of the Year by the Texas Sportswriters Association, adds community support and the closeness of those around him as factors in Pleasant Grove's success.
"I'm thankful for our school, community, admin, principals, and thankful for all the parents who allowed our coaching staff to have a small part in their kids' lives, both athletically and in life in general," he said. "I also would like to thank my family - my wife and kids - for the support they show not just for myself but for the team and program.
"I've been around this game my whole life," Fincher added. "I love this game and everything about it: The camaraderie of the teams, the players and coaches, the fans and community support. The growth that we see each season with our players and staff, seeing our team get all the accolades that they deserve and winning state this year, it's just so humbling."
In early 2022, the ABCA will host a convention in Chicago and Fincher hopes it will become another avenue to put Pleasant Grove and the community on the map. The organization was founded in 1945 and hands out awards in eight divisions, including NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III, the NAIAI, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, and high school.
"It's going to be a huge honor," Fincher said. "I think the best thing about it is that we'll get to celebrate this with our colleagues, coaches and friends I have throughout the state, and it'll just be one more platform that we'll be able to showcase our school and our community."
Now that Fincher has been named to the prestigious award, the focus shifts back to his program. Following last year's success, the already-high expectations of his team have been raised.
"The expectations here are always high," he said. "We talk about them, and we don't shy away from that here. Our kids are all about it - the expectations to be a great student, be great on and off the field and to represent themselves, their families and community. When we get teachers and people in the community telling us how respectful our kids are and how they play the game the right way, that's just the ultimate goal."
With school now beginning, so does the baseball team's offseason.
"We'll get back to work now," he said. "We'll have our kids come back and ready to get to work. They had a successful summer and they know it starts over now. Last season was amazing - everything that happened is forever. Now, it's time to go back to work."