From the Daily Tribune Below:
By Chris Stephens
Associate Sports Editor
Published April 07, 2007 10:42 PM CDT
Cartersville head baseball coach Stuart Chester earned his 300th career victory Saturday against Gordon Central, as the Canes won 15-5, in Calhoun.
Chester, who is in his 10th year as the head coach of the Canes, was surprised at a celebration the team had for him when they got back to the Cartersville baseball complex.
"All it means is that I'm getting old," Chester said jokingly.
"Coach Chester provides stability and consistency with this program," said Cartersville principal Jay Floyd. "He knows he has the community's support."
Chester said he's nothing special and that any coach could reach the same milestone in the Canes' program.
"With the type of players we've had in this program and the support we've received in the community, it's easy to get a lot of wins," Chester said.
As the celebration went on, assistant coach Kyle Tucker and senior outfielder/pitcher Lyle Allen snuck up behind Chester with a 10-gallon cooler of water and drenched him.
"I didn't know what hit me," Chester said. "I thought a plane crashed.
"Now, I'm keeping Lyle, but I'm looking for a new assistant coach," Chester said jokingly.
For people outside of the Cartersville program, some might say Chester is mean, whereas his players say he places high expectations on them, and for good reason.
"He expects a lot out of his players," said former Canes' third baseman Tyler Gilreath. "He expects us to do our best and doesn't accept anything less."
"The kids know he has high expectations," Floyd said. "They respond to it as well."
Chester agrees he's hard on his players.
"I'm hard on them, there's no doubt," Chester said. "But I do that for two reasons -- I love these guys and I want them to get better. I want them to use what they learned here later in life."
The relationship Chester has with his players is something they say not many people know about.
"He's a good friend," Allen said. "When we're on the field, it's all about baseball. But off the field, if you need to talk to him, he'll listen. Not a lot of people see that. He shows us that he cares."
Chester said the relationship with the players is the best thing about the job.
"I'd be lying and saying that winning isn't great," Chester said. "But the relationships you develop with these players is the biggest joy of the job."
But Chester hesitates to take credit for the success of the program.
"It's not about me," he said. "It's about these players. They are the focus."
Included in Chester's accomplishments are three state championships, seven region championships, three players playing pro baseball and countless players playing in college.
This year, the Canes have also attained their highest national ranking ever, as they are currently ranked No. 28 in the nation and No. 1 in Georgia's Class AAA.
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