The Stallions baseball team went 34 years without winning a Georgia College Athletic Association (GCAA) State Title. It wasn't until ABAC decided to hire Brandon Reeder as the head coach over the Stallions baseball team that the team found success. In 2018, Reeder led his team to victory against South Georgia State College and took his team to the first round of the Junior College World Series.

     Reeder's father served in the Army while he was young. Reeder was born at Fort Polk, Louisiana and grew up as a child in Shreveport, Louisiana. As a boy, he watched his older brother play baseball and dreamed about the day he would get to play. "I loved being at the ballpark chasing foul balls and couldn't wait to get on the field," remembers Reeder.

     His long journey as a player began when he was four years old. His family moved to Nashville, Georgia when he was 10 years old. He started playing baseball for Tiftarea Academy, where he graduated high school.

     He went on to play at the college level at Georgia Southwestern University. He pursued a master's degree from Georgia Southern University. After playing the sport he loved all his life, he decided to continue his pursuit as a coach.

     "I love the game and it opened up many opportunities for me, including the opportunity to get my education. I find it rewarding seeking out aspiring ballplayers who also have the goals of going to college and working towards their degree," said Reeder.

     In 2014, ABAC hired Reeder as an interim coach. Our college decided to make him permanent by offering him the head coaching position for the baseball team. He said his favorite part about being the head coach is, "recruiting good players and human beings and giving them the opportunity to pursue their dreams of playing baseball and goal of getting a college education at a great school."

     Baseball is "a game of Failure, which parallels to life," says Reeder. He teaches his players to win and lose with dignity. Coaching his players involves more than just preparing them for the field.

     He teaches them important life lessons that will carry over after their time as a baseball player. "If we handle failure with dignity and learn from it, I think I'm doing my job preparing them for life," Reeder said.

     Reeder's advice for athletes who want to pursue coaching as he did is, "Surround yourself with players/coaches who know the game and soak in as much knowledge as you can. As with anything, you never know who you're making an impression on, so always be on time, work hard and embrace any role you must lead people."

     The Stallions baseball team are focusing on their approaching conference tournament. After their successful run last year, Reeder says their goal for 2019 is "to get in the conference tournament and compete. Same as last year. Once we get in, play hard and let the chips fall where they may."

Create to Billy Ray Malone, Stallion Newspaper