Three stalwarts of McCallie School’s administration and athletics program are being honored for their coaching leadership as the school celebrates the renovation and expansion of its varsity baseball facility.
The facility, built in 1993 and refurbished this year, will be named the Kenny Sholl Stadium in honor of former varsity baseball coach and current Assistant Head of School Kenny Sholl.
In addition, the renovated home dugout will be named in honor of Bill Eiselstein, who served as varsity coach from 1970 to 1987. Mr. Eiselstein retired in 2012 after 45 years as a teacher, coach, and administrator. The visitor’s dugout will be named in honor of current Upper School Principal Hank Hopping, who served as varsity baseball coach from 1993 to 2001.
“These three men exemplify the character, dignity, and spirit of McCallie School and it is with the greatest sense of pride that we honor them as we celebrate the newly refurbished varsity baseball field,” said Head of School Lee Burns ’87.
A formal ceremony will be held on the field at 6:30 p.m. on April 25 prior to the McCallie-Baylor game. Alumni, parents, and friends are invited to the event. The refurbished facility includes new artificial turf, expanded and renovated press box and seating, and new dugouts.
JV Kodali, of New York, a 1988 graduate of McCallie who provided financial support for the project, said he was particularly proud it is being named in honor of Mr. Sholl. “As a student, I was lifted in so many positive ways by Coach Sholl’s leadership. He helped shape me and thousands of other students into the men we are today.”
Mr. Sholl was a star player for the Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe baseball team in high school, and helped lead the team to a Georgia state championship. He played college baseball for Vanderbilt, where he was named to the All-SEC Academic team, and later played for UTC, where he was named to the All-Southern Conference team. In 1983, when he joined the McCallie faculty as a math teacher, he became an assistant to then-varsity coach Bill Eiselstein. He served in that position for three years, and when Mr. Eiselstein moved on to become Director of McCallie’s Summer Programs, Mr. Sholl became head coach.
He served as head coach for five years, leading the team to a regional championship, before stepping down to become Math Department Chair and a dormitory head. He has held a number of administrative positions, including Dean of Students, Upper School and Associate Head, and has been McCallie’s Assistant Head of School since 2015.
When Mr. Sholl stepped down as head coach, Hank Hopping, who joined the faculty in 1987, took over duties and led the team for the next eight years. After serving in that position, he became Dean of Students for 15 years, and was named Principal of the Upper School in 2016.
“McCallie has always had a great baseball program, and the years of leadership by Bill Eiselstein, Kenny Sholl, and Hank Hopping will always be remembered by alumni as some of the best years,” Mr. Burns said. “So it is fitting that the baseball facility carry their names.”