Bald Eagle Area’s Jim Gardner named PIAA 2022-23 Baseball Coach of the Year

Bald Eagle Area’s state title just became a little sweeter.

The PIAA recently announced its coaches of the year for the 2022-23 school year and BEA head coach Jim Gardner was named the PIAA/NFHS Baseball Coach of the Year.

The honor comes months after the team completed a 22-4 season with a victory in the PIAA 2A State Championship.

“When I received the news, I was completely surprised,” Gardner told the CDT, “didn’t know they gave a coaching award for the state baseball.”

Part of the reason Gardner won the award could be attributed to the team’s eight-game win improvement in comparison to the last campaign, along with the aforementioned state title.

But through the ups and downs, Bald Eagle Area Athletic Director Doug Dyke said Gardner has remained the “same person.”

“He is very deserving of this honor,” Dyke said. “Winning two state titles in the classification that we (are) playing is not an easy thing to do.”

Bald Eagle Area last won the state title in 2007, with Gardner also at the helm. Still, Bald Eagle Area’s bench boss deflected any credit to himself, seeing it all as a team accomplishment. Gardner had a multitude of praises for his student-athletes as well as his surrounding coaching staff when reflecting on the June 17 game where the squad won 11-0 over Mount Union on the backs of an all-around performance.

“It’s because our kids executed the game very well,” said Gardner, who has been the head coach at Bald Eagle Area for 22 years.

Following such a season, all eyes will be on Bald Eagle Area to keep the momentum going, and Gardner said that they won’t do anything out of the ordinary in an attempt to run it back.

The PIAA Coach of the Year awardee expects most of the team to be back for next season but just wants to take things one game at a time.

“We do have, I feel, a good nucleus back,” Gardner said, “and just a great bunch of kids.”