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(Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen) In addition to leading the softball program the past three years at Northwest Whitfield, Shane Ramsey has worked as a baseball assistant at the school.
(Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen) Shane Ramsey, left, enjoyed highly successful seasons the past three years as Northwest Whitfield’s softball coach before resigning this spring. He’ll try to bring the same winning ways in his new job as baseball coach at Dalton.

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August 8, 2012

Different sport, different school

But Ramsey excited about new opportunity as coach

Chris Whitfield chriswhitfield@daltoncitizen.com The Dalton Daily Citizen Thu Aug 09, 2012, 07:02 PM EDT

When Shane Ramsey resigned as the head softball coach at Northwest Whitfield this spring, he said he wanted to spend more time with his sons.

After being announced as Dalton High’s baseball coach by athletic director Ron Ward on Tuesday, Ramsey is looking forward to working with those sons one day as part of his new job.

“I have three boys, and I wanted to coach my kids in high school,” said Ramsey, whose sons are Caleb, 12, Colby, 10, and Caden, 6. “For me, your teenage years are so vital, and I wanted to be part of that. I wanted to support them and challenge them.

“I can’t think of a better place for them to get a great education than Dalton High. Their winning tradition throughout all of their sports was a big draw as well.”

Ramsey takes over for Bobby Brotherton, who left Dalton High to become an assistant principal at Whitfield County Schools’ Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy. Brotherton was also Dalton’s softball coach. He was replaced in that capacity by Jeff McKinney, who had served as a softball assistant under Brotherton and has been the Lady Catamounts’ head basketball coach for the past decade. McKinney has previously worked as a head softball coach and won a state title in Alabama.

Ramsey, who compiled a 70-37 record in three years at Northwest and led the Lady Bruins to a pair of top-four finishes in the Class 4A state tournament, resigned from his coaching position on May 18. Ward said Whitfield County Schools released Ramsey from his teaching contract, and Ramsey will teach in the special education department at Dalton. His first day at his new school was Tuesday.

“I am excited,” said Ramsey, who was also an assistant baseball coach at Northwest. “When coach Brotherton resigned, I was called to see if I was interested in it, and I told them I was. I interviewed with Mr. Ward and then met with (Principal Debbie Freeman) the following week, and they offered the job this past Friday.

“Following Bobby Bro-therton, I have big shoes to fill, but I can’t wait to see kids coming up through the feeder program and see them wearing red and white. I want to push those kids to be as successful as they can be.”

It’s been a busy summer for Ramsey, who married his wife Natalie three weeks ago. And even though he enjoyed his coaching job with the Lady Bruins, baseball has always been his first love. A collegiate player at Truett-McConnell, he is anxious to get back on the diamond, and the opportunity was one he said he couldn’t pass up.

“It has always been a dream to be a head baseball coach,” he said. “Baseball has always been my true passion. I love the sport of softball and wouldn’t trade coaching those girls at Northwest for anything. To see them rise to the top, as a coach you can’t ask for more.

“But baseball has been my passion. I was fortunate to play college baseball, and having three boys, they have a lot of love for baseball. My boys were really excited about this opportunity.”

With seven of nine starters expected back for the Cats next spring, it should be a competitive team that awaits Ramsey.

Dalton missed the state playoffs each of the past two years and had back-to-back losing records of 11-13 and 8-18 while competing in Region 7-3A, which included perennial state powers Cartersville and Ringgold. But the Cats, who have enjoyed deep playoff runs in their history and made the state playoffs four straight seasons before their recent drought, will move into Sub-region 7B-4A this year against Northwest, Southeast Whitfield, Ridgeland, LaFay-ette and Heritage-Catoosa.

In that sub-region, only Heritage was in the playoffs last year.

“Being at Northwest, I got to see the rivalry from a different pair of eyes,” Ramsey said. “You get up to play Dalton and that tradition. I wanted to be a part of that. In this new region, it brings back the normal rivalries. So it is exciting.”

Ward was equally excited.

“I am excited about the prospects for the team,” Ward said. “Shane is excited and sees this as a job he really wants and is committed to for the long haul.”

Ramsey will have the rest of Brotherton’s coaching staff retained — assistant coaches J.B. Brotherton, Brandon Sane, Nick Son, Brett Greene and Heath Ellis. Ramsey said he would meet with his team later this week after school starts back and is planning on a parents meeting in the coming weeks.

“I’ve already gotten a lot of positive feedback,” Ramsey said. “There is some excitement with it. It is a dream come true.”

In other hiring news in the Dalton athletic department, former Lady Cats three-sport standout Lacie Coquerille — she played softball, basketball and golf at Dalton before graduating in 2007, then went on to play softball at Tennessee Tech — has returned to her alma mater as an assistant softball and basketball coach.

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Different sport, different school

But Ramsey excited about new opportunity as coach

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