Bushland promotes Todd Espe to head baseball coach
It was a fantastic run by the Bushland baseball team this year that ended in the 3A regional semifinals. With the end of the season also came the end to the fantastic career of head coach Joel Love. Love announced earlier in the season that he'd be retiring at the conclusion of the the season and thus the speculation began as to who would take his place.
Thursday morning, the answer to that question became official and the new man in charge is a face the Falcons are already quite familiar with.
Todd Espe, who has been an assistant with the Falcons for the past nine seasons, was announced as the new head coach of the Bushland baseball team on Thursday morning. The announcement came via Twitter from Athletic Director Josh Reynolds.
Espe will inherit a team that loses just one senior in Josh Bass. The Falcons will return everyone else with even higher expectations next season.
Reynolds also tells the Amarillo Globe-News that the position of head softball coach has been filled. An announcement on who will take that position is expected in the coming weeks. They will replace John Blair, who resigned last month.
It continues to be one of the busiest coaching carousels in Texas Panhandle history and Espe wasn't the only big move announced in the past week.
Childress announced three new hires at the end of last week to fill the three positions they lost. Perhaps the most notable name of the trio was Lee Brandon, the former Gruver head football coach and Athletic Director who recently resigned. He will take over as the head boys track coach after Chris Marquez departed to take a job with Lubbock Coronado.
The Bobcats will also have a new girls track coach following the retirement of Kirk Stephens. Kolby Pool has been promoted to fill that position after coaching Taylor Wiseman to a state title in the discus this past season.
Finally, the Lady Cats will have a new girls basketball coach as well. Following Shannon Fisher's departure to take an administrative role with Wellington, Childress has hired longtime coaching veteran Jerry Cathey to fill that position. Cathey spent this past season at Tulia. Tulia is now seeking a new girls basketball coach in addition to the open position for head softball coach.
Speaking of girls basketball, Vega has a new person in that position in Kaden Griffitt. Griffitt was an assistant coach for the Lady Longhorns last year and becomes head coach now following the departure of Shane Woods.
Where did Woods depart to you ask? He's now the head boys basketball coach at Booker High School following the retirement of Shane Reagan. Woods will also take over as the baseball coach and help oversee the transition of Booker's football team to six-man as an assistant coach.
On that same note, Booker has also announced who will oversee that transition in the role of head coach and Athletic Director. The Kiowas have appointed golf coach David Biddler to that role.
Is your head spinning yet? Because there was also news about a former area head coach getting a top job out of the area. Former Caprock girls basketball coach David Smiley was initially reassigned to an assistant position for the Amarillo High football and track team, but he'll remain a head coach after all, albeit out of the Panhandle. Smiley has been hired as the new head boys basketball coach at Andrews.
There is also a new opening in the Canyon ISD Athletics system. Former Randall boys soccer coach Luke Strong announced on Twitter that he would be leaving to take the same position at Caddo Mills. Sources say CISD will more than likely open up the search outside the program to fill that position.
There will be one coaching change at Spearman High School as Mikayle Bolton has been hired as the new girls cross country coach. Kress is currently looking to fill its open football head coach and Athletic Director position following the departure of Zach Reaves. Kress and Bovina are the only two remaining football coach/AD positions open in the area.
Hereford has officially announced the promotion of Claudia Garcia to head softball coach after filling the role of assistant this past year. Borger is expected to announce the hiring of a new baseball coach in the coming weeks wile Memphis currently has an open position for head softball coach as well.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Bushland promotes Todd Espe to head baseball coach
