(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Faith Christian’s Ralph Nance is going out on top as a baseball coach.
Nance, who has led the program over two stints for 16 seasons, is retiring as coach of the Eagles, the school announced on Tuesday. However, Nance remains as the school’s football coach — a role he’s had since 2014.
He led the program to the Class 3A championship in the spring, and was named the 3A coach of the year by his peers as part of the All-State team.
Nance helped start the program as an assistant in 1993, then took over as head coach in 1994. He helped get an on-campus baseball field built, and has created one of the state’s top programs. Nance took a break from coaching baseball in 2005, but returned in 2013 and then won his first state title this spring.
“We have been truly blessed to have Coach Nance as the leader of the baseball program, the vision he has provided and most importantly for his work and the relationships he has built with our high school athletes,” Faith Christian athletic director Jeremy Lustik said in a statement. “He will be truly missed, but forever remembered for his accomplishments and dedication to the program.”
The Eagles moved quickly to name a replacement, hiring Jim Polson, who will become the fifth coach in program history.
Polson has experience as an assistant at Pomona, Ralston Valley, Fairview and the past 10 seasons as assistant head coach at Mountain Range.
“Coach Polson is a very well respected coach in the high school baseball community having played a large role in the success of many of the teams he has assisted as well as in player development,” Lustik said. “He has directly impacted the careers and lives of numerous players who have not only had outstanding high school careers, but have also gone on to play collegiately and professionally as well.”