Following a year that saw the Athens High School baseball team claim an area championship after a 22-14 season, the Golden Eagles added to head coach Chuck Smith’s staff by bringing in assistant coach Mike Murphree.

“He is going to bring a wealth of knowledge on the game of baseball to the team,” Linda Moore, Athens’ athletic director, said. “In collaborating with Coach Smith, he will be a great asset to the players and other coaches on our team.”

Murphree, an Athens native, returns home after spending the past 12 years with Jacksonville State University under head coach Jim Case, who retired this summer. During that time frame, Murphree helped coach the Jacksonville State Gamecocks to multiple postseason berths and 320 total career wins.

“With him being from the Athens area, it was not a hard decision for us to try and pull him into Athens High School from Jacksonville,” Moore said. “I know that the community will be excited to see him out there as well.”

A former successful high school player in his own right, Murphree earned All-Area honors during his time at East Limestone before starting his collegiate playing career at Northwest Shoals in 1999.

After his playing days were over, Murphree would start his coaching career at Troy University before moving up the coaching ranks at various colleges, until he got to Jacksonville State in 2012.

“It is always great to see someone from your area come back to their hometown,” Moore said. “It’s also great to see him give back to his hometown, by coaching here.”

Coach Murphree returns to Athens with his wife, Tabetha Murphree, and daughter, Hannah Grace Murphree.