Posted: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 05:32 PM - 11,890 Readers

By: Gabriel Brooks

Pine Tree has hired Corpus Christi Moody assistant Jack Roddy as the Pirates' new head baseball coach.

Roddy comes to Pine Tree fresh off a 34-5 season with Moody, which lost 2-1 to Lake Travis in a Class 4A Region IV semifinal series. The Trojans were ranked No. 2 by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association when Lake Travis ousted them from the postseason.

"It's an opportunity to work at a great program with great tradition," Roddy said. "I had a great spot at Moody, but the only thing that would take me away was a varsity head coaching job of the caliber of Pine Tree."

Pine Tree athletic director Huey Chancellor said Roddy's time in baseball made him a solid choice.

"His experience as a head coach and his experience as an assistant at some top programs stood out," Chancellor said. "So did his excitement about this position. I think he's really excited about the opportunities Pine Tree has. I think he's got some really good ideas and the experience to apply those ideas."

Roddy has been a head coach at Greenville and Chapel Hill, while serving as an assistant at Moody, Harlingen South, Pasadena Sam Rayburn, Galena Park North Shore and St. Pius X in Kansas City, Mo.

Roddy said he emphasizes the mental approach to the game, in addition to an aggressive style, particularly on the bases.

"We're going to go all out after it," Roddy said. "We're going to run people to death. Our top four guys (returning to Pine Tree in 2011) were 53-for-59 in stolen bases, so we're going to be off on the war path on the base paths.

"Pine Tree is a program rich in tradition in baseball and I just look forward to keeping the ball rolling. Our No. 1 goal is to win the district championship, not just make the playoffs. If you do that, then everything else will roll into place. They won 16 games last year. There's no reason that can't be 26. I have a positive mind frame I've taken wherever I've been. I'm all positive about my approach."

Roddy replaces Steve Marrs, who retired at the end of the 2010 season. Marrs coached 28 years, including the past four seasons at Pine Tree. Marrs went 69-33 at Pine Tree to conclude his career with a 496-206 record.

Pine Tree finished 16-11 overall and 5-7 in District 13-4A, missing the playoffs.