After spending 12 seasons with Hancock County as an assistant baseball coach, Steve Lyday has recently been named the program’s new head coach.
“I am really excited about it,” Lyday said. “I am excited for the opportunity, and I am excited to see what the future will bring. I have been with the program for several years, and I just wanted to watch and continue to see it grow.”
A former four-year player at Oakland City, Lyday graduated in 2002 and subsequently stepped away from baseball for almost a decade, returning in 2012. Joining Hancock County as a varsity assistant, he also spent time with the middle school program. Lyday also spent 10 years with the middle school football team and eight years with the middle school basketball program.
Next spring will mark Lyday’s first year as a head coach at the varsity level, acknowledging that he is prepared for the challenge.
“It’s not something I thought I ever wanted. I am not a teacher in the school system, but I have been around the program for a long time,” Lyday said. “I have seen a lot of good coaches and have coached under six at Hancock County. I just felt that, given the situation, it just felt like it was kind of time. I learned from a lot of different coaches, and I feel that I have a lot to bring to the program and to build on where they left off.”
Lyday has his eye on promoting his son Drew Lyday and another former Hornet in Cole Dixon, from the middle school team to the varsity level.
“I’m pretty excited about coaching more with my son,” Lyday said. ‘He played for Hancock County, and I coached him there. He played several years at Brescia and is a senior there, so he is getting out of school and wants to get into coaching. He is very excited about it, works well with the kids, and is very knowledgeable about baseball. I am really excited to work with him.”
