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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland contractor faces federal bribery charge ... AHS breaks ground on new field ... Jackson County elected officials to get pay raises ... Ashland contractor faces federal bribery charge ... AHS breaks ground on new field ... Jackson County elected officials to get pay raises ... ATHLETICS Look who's back with the Grizzlies Former diamond standout Nick Hall relishes opportunity to coach AHS team Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Mar. 31, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Mar. 31, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News Longtime Ashland High baseball fans who have watched the Grizzlies race out to a 6-0 start this season may have noticed a familiar face directing traffic from the third-base coach’s box: former Grizzly standout Nick Hall. The 2010 Ashland High graduate, who was the starting second baseman on Ashland’s 2008 OSAA Class 5A state championship team and starting shortstop on its 2010 state runner-up squad, is listed as a co-head coach along with his dad Charlie Hall, although the older Hall says that it’s the younger Hall who’s handling many of the head coaching duties. Blessed with soft hands and a tremendous work ethic, Nick Hall was a steady presence in Ashland’s middle infield during the golden age of Grizzly baseball — Ashland advanced to the state semifinals four years in a row between 2007 and 2010, and won it all in 2008, beating Thurston 4-3 in the state championship game, thanks in part to a key hit by Hall. After graduating from AHS, Hall went to Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash., where he played baseball all four years and studied applied physics. After earning his bachelor’s degree, Hall was accepted into a competitive master’s program at the University of Oregon, which he completed. Now, he works for Quantum Innovations in Central Point. Although he’s been involved with baseball since he first stepped up to a tee in Little League and has been a student of the game most of his life, Hall, 24, says steering the team through the myriad of obstacles that pop up during games and deciding quickly how to react, strategically, is his greatest challenge as a coach and one that has given him a newfound respect for his previous coaches. “When you’re playing you’re focused on what your role is, but when you’re coaching it’s kind of hard to really understand every little thing that you need to be thinking about until you’re actually doing it,” he said. “And that’s what I enjoy about it because you have to be engaged in every aspect of the game, whether it’s offensively or defensively or pitching or base running, so that’s definitely a challenge to not get kind of overwhelmed by everything that’s going on. “Every game I learn something as far as game management. You can’t second-guess yourself. You gotta make a decision, you gotta stick with it or else you’re going to drive yourself crazy.” That’s especially true when it comes to Hall’s duties as the third-base coach. From the most pressure-packed box on the field, he’s responsible for determining when to wave runners home and when to hold them up, a decision which requires the ability to quickly weigh multiple factors — the speed of the base-runner, the arm strength the fielder and weather conditions. There, snap decisions must be made and hesitation is not an option. “That’s really kind of where you make your money as a third-base coach,” he said. “I think I’ve got one guy thrown out thus far. I’m sure it won’t be my last. I think that as much as anything it’s about the amount of reps you get, the amount of times you get to see a ball hit to the outfield and you’re going to start to learn when you can and can’t take a chance.” Of course, the vast majority of coaching is done on the practice field between games, and that, Charlie Hall said, is where his son's expertise, experience and attention to detail have had the greatest impact on the team. He headed up the installation of Ashland’s defensive plays such as bunt coverage and relays, leads the team through drills and works with the middle infielders on their fundamentals. He also relies heavily on assistant coaches to help teach the nuances of pitching (Daryn McLennan), catching (Chris McKean) and batting (Don Senestraro). His dad, Hall said, is also an invaluable resource. Charlie Hall was an assistant coach during Ashland’s string of semifinal appearances and has been the head coach of the Ashland football team since 2005. “Having the staff that we have really takes a lot of pressure off me,” Nick Hall said. “Having my dad there — he’s going to bring a tone and an attitude that just demands respect, so I don’t feel like I really need to make sure that they’re giving me that attention because it’s already there for the most part.” As Charlie Hall knows, there is much more to coaching high school athletes than understanding where players need to be and when. And while his son’s understanding of the X's and O's is a prerequisite for the job, Hall says, it’s not everything. The good news, Charlie Hall points out, is that his son knows how to push the right buttons both on the field and in the dugout. “I think he just has a great feel for teaching and coaching,” Charlie Hall said. “He’s got the youth that allows him to relate to the kids, but I’ve always felt that he’s always been very mature for his age and I think with his approach and demeanor he just commands respect, so that’s been pretty easy and very natural for him.” Senior first baseman Matt Flynn, who swung between junior varsity and varsity last year, was already familiar with Nick Hall’s style heading into this season because Hall coached the junior varsity team last season. Flynn says Hall has provided a fresh approach and great instruction. When Hall talks, Flynn explains, the players listen because they know he’s played at a high level and understand what it takes to win. “It’s gone really solid so far,” Flynn said. “We’re winning a lot, and it’s not so much the win factor as much as it is just having a younger coach in here that can really bond with our team. (Charlie) Hall does a great job — he’s been here a long time. But to get a younger guy in here who actually knows what he’s talking about in the game of baseball, I feel like that’s really good for our team.” Hall couldn’t have asked for a much better start to his first varsity coaching job. The Grizzlies have won their first six games — an impressive run which includes a three-game road sweep through Arizona and a Midwestern League-opening win at Springfield on Tuesday. Ashland’s MWL home opener is Saturday against Springfield. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at North Mountain Park, where Ashland hasn’t played since its season opener March 16. While Hall is proud of how the Grizzlies have performed — they were No. 4 in the OSAA rankings and No. 3 in the RPI Tuesday night — he knows that wins in March don’t mean a whole lot. It’s the Grizzlies’ dedication to the offseason grind, and their focus during practices, that has him feeling optimistic about the future of Ashland baseball. “I’ve popped my head in a few times and it was really good to see a lot of guys that were there day in and day out putting their work in and I think that carried over to the spring,” Hall said of his team’s offseason work in both the weight room and the cages. “We did lay a good foundation this offseason I think. I’m just trying to get the buy-in where we can’t be satisfied with anything we’ve done up until this point because it’s nonleague. “I want them to work as hard as they possibly can and so a lot of it is me trying to motivate the guys and get the most out of them because this group is extremely talented. They’ve shown glimmers of that throughout the years and if we can get them to buy in to working really hard every day we’re going to see some special things.” Reach Daily Tidings reporter Joe Zavala at [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Mar. 31, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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