By Damian Mitchell
Tribune Sports
TRUSSVILLE- Hewitt-Trussville head baseball coach Jeff Mauldin has been selected to serve as the head director of the youth fall baseball league for the Trussville Parks and Recreation.
Coach Mauldin has proven himself to be one of the top coaches in the state across all divisions. Prior to his tenure at Hewitt-Trussville he coached six years at Pelham High School where he compiled a 176-51 record.
He also led Clay-Chalkville to a state championship win in 2003 and runner-up finishes in 2005 and 2006.
Since his arrival at Hewitt-Trussville he has taken the Huskies to the state championship three times, winning one in 2016.
Mauldin has been working on leading the league since his arrival at Hewitt-Trussville. He had discussed it with Trussville Parks and Recreation superintendent Drew Peterson for some time and they both were excited to make this plan work.
“Baseball is huge in Trussville and I’ve always known this would be a sleeping giant for baseball,” Mauldin said. “This is an excellent way to do more in the community and for the youth.”
The family oriented environment is a major factor for Mauldin. He believes that what he does goes deeper than the baseball field.
“This league is going to be more than just baseball. I want it to be fun and informative. Community involvement is going to be at an all-time high,” Mauldin said.
Mauldin, his coaching staff and current Hewitt-Trussville varsity players will run a six week program that addresses all things baseball. He believes the two days a week they have will be beneficial.
“Tuesday is the individual instruction and practice day. We will work with each player on an individual level focusing on their weaker points and making them strong. . . we have coaches and current players that know the game and don’t mind helping the kids,” Mauldin said.
Sunday afternoons are game days for the youth. Mauldin organized the game in which the current varsity players will be the coaches during the game with coaches on his staff looking on as overseers. This also builds a relationship between the high school players and youth league players.
The coaches have free reign to stop the game and make coaching points if someone has questions or they see something they need to address. Parents are encouraged to get involved any way possible to ensure the game-like feel and support for the kids.
The unique aspect is that the kids will learn the high school terminology and get an early taste of what makes the Huskies baseball team so dominant.
“I want them to feel free to ask questions and be students of the game, these coaches and players have years of experience and there isn’t much we haven’t seen on the baseball field before,” Mauldin said. “We want the parents to hear our terminology and reinforce it by using it with their kids when their throwing with them at home or at batting practice.”
Mauldin believes that this is going to continue the success of Hewitt-Trussville baseball for the future.
“What we’ve got going on right now is great. As long as these kids are committed to having fun and share that love for baseball, the future is going to be bright. . . the more you’re involved with the youth in the community, the better the relationship becomes,” Mauldin said.