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Jim
Quinn is in his 9th year with Orion
Hunter as a head coach. Jim has successfully coached at every age level and has a combined record of
436-151-8.
Prior
to his coaching career at Orion Hunter Jim was with SCAA
Baseball and Softball for 4 years, where he helped to form and
coach the first girls SCAA All Star team, then known as the
Sunday Select Road Runners.
A
desire for stronger competition led Jim to the travel ball arena and
the Orion Hunter family where he initially assisted the 10U team and
then became the head coach following the second game of the teams'
first tournament. After two years of developing the 10U group, Jim
was named the head coach of a very young 12U team. Although the
team struggled to score runs, Jim's focus on defensive
training paid off with a 38 – 20 record and it became
clear that Orion Hunter had something growing with their younger level
team. In his second season at 12U the team went 59 – 19
with an impressive 9th place finish out of 130 teams at NSA Nationals.
The following year Jim was named to the 14U head coaching position and
Orion Hunter saw its single best turnout for tryouts with nearly 60
players seeking membership. Sporting a seasons record of 55
– 23, the 14U team headed to Florida and a top 20 finish at
the USSSA Nationals. The subsequent year saw the 14U team amass
a 56 – 24 record and a Runner-up finish at the NSA State
Championship. Jim then moved into the 16U head coaching
position and in 2004 this team finished first in 9 out of 11
tournaments entered, one of the best records in Orion Hunter
history. Now the 18U coach, Jim has had the pleasure of seeing 6
of his first 7 seniors move to the next level to play in the collegiate
ranks; in 2007 that 7th player chose ODU, which has no softball program
at this time. Helping to place another 4 players in
2008, Jim continues to coach and provide leadership to his 18U players and the organization as a whole.
Jim's
continued success is due to the combination of the outstanding
athletes who play for Orion Hunter coupled with his ability to get every bit of
talent out of those athletes while minimizing the
“drama” and maximizing the fun.
What
was your Greatest Thrill: “There have been so many
great moments; it is difficult to list one as the
greatest thrill. One that does stand out occurred as I was attending a local school ball
game. One of the players I coach with Orion Hunter hit
her first ever homerun over the dead centerfield
fence. When she crossed the plate both she and her parents pointed out to the rest of the spectators that I
was her coach, and that I taught her how to hit that
way. That was special. This young lady is
now a starter for UVA at Wise, and stays in contact,
whether for advice or out of respect...this in a
nutshell is what coaching is all about."
Why
do you enjoy coaching? “Perhaps, seeing the light
bulb come on when a struggling player finally “get’s it”
and then to see her come through in the clutch and watch as
the confidence grows. Knowing that you make a
difference in the way these kids approach the game makes
all the work worth while.”
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