Tim Couch Resigns As Silverdale Softball Coach

Led Lady Seahawks To No. 2 Finish In State Tourney

  • Monday, June 27, 2016
  • Larry Fleming
Tim Couch
Tim Couch
photo by Dennis Norwood/File Photo

Tim Couch, who led the Silverdale Baptist Academy softball team to a runner-up finish in the 2016 TSSAA Class 1A state tournament, has resigned as the Lady Seahawks’ coach.

Couch just completed his fifth season as the Silverdale coach – the Lady Seahawks went 42-5 -- and it was by far his most successful campaign.

“This wasn’t an easy decision, but I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Couch said Monday. “I knew going into this season this would be my last year with softball. I’m proud of what we have accomplished at Silverdale with our softball program and we’ve put our name out there for kids who are interested in attending school here and playing softball.”

Couch, 52, coached football, basketball and softball this past school year and talked to the Silverdale administration so they would know about his intentions to give up the softball job.

And Couch has no doubts the success the Lady Seahawks have had on the softball diamond, especially in 2016, will attract “very good  coaches” interested in leading the program.

“I had one person that I sort of hand-picked to take the job, but that hasn’t worked out,” Couch said. “Without having publicized the job being open, I’ve talked to five coaches on the phone and gotten resumes from four or five other coaches. As the athletic director we want to be selective because we want the best possible person to move in here.

“With due diligence, we’ll find the person that will be the right fit for Silverdale. Anytime there is a change, parents and players want to know who the next coach is going to be, so we’re going to get the best person for the job.”

Couch, a native of Huntsville, Ala., and an outstanding quarterback at Johnson High School before attending Tennessee-Chattanooga and playing for the Mocs from 1983-86, said he will remain at Silverdale as the school’s athletic director.

He also plans to assist head coach Slater Belew with the boys’ basketball team and continue his teaching duties.

“I will miss coaching softball,” said Couch, who coached the Silverdale middle school softball team in 2008. “It has been fun and I enjoyed working with the girls and the administration has been great to me. But it was time to step away. I’ll be here to help the next coach in any possible way I can. And it’s not like the next person will be coming into a bad situation. We’ve got great facilities and good kids coming back.

“We want to upgrade the program. We don’t want to go backwards. We’ve got one more step to take and that’s to win a state championship.”

Couch led the Lady Seahawks to two state tournament appearances, the first in 2012 when they lost their first game, won two in a row and then were eliminated by cross-town rival Grace Baptist.

In May, the Lady Seahawks made a strong bid for the school’s first state softball title, but came up short against Meigs County in the title game in Murfreesboro.

The two teams met in the opening game and the Lady Tigers posted a 3-1 victory.

Silverdale fought back with four straight wins in the loser’s bracket and clawed their way back into a rematch with Meigs County.

The Lady Seahawks, who claimed district, region and sectional titles to earn a spot in the state tourney, scored six unearned runs in the fifth inning due to a two-out outfield error and forced a second game with a 6-0 gut-check win over the Lady Tigers.

In the winner-take-all showdown, Meigs County won 8-5 for the Lady Tigers’ first state title. Meigs finished the season 40-4.

Couch began his coaching career as a football assistant. He had two stints at Ooltewah, totaling seven years and had two-year tenures at East Hamilton and David Brainerd, which recently closed and is now the new East Brainerd Elementary School.

Couch also served as Silverdale football coach Al Rogers’ offensive coordinator and has been the school’s athletic director for several years.

At UTC, Couch passed for 4,470 career yards with 35 touchdowns and 41 interceptions. As a junior, he completed 140-of-281 passes for 1,651 yards and 12 scores.

Rumors were floating around town for weeks that Couch was in line for potential jobs at Ooltewah and East Hamilton for the 2016-17 school year.

“I’ve heard that too since I’ve stepped down (he announced his resignation at the softball team banquet), I guess because of my history at those schools,” Couch said. “I have no plans to be coaching anywhere else. I’m eager to help coach Belew with boys’ basketball. It’s fun to be around young coaches.”

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow on Twitter @larryfleming44)

 

 

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