New Sweeny head baseball coach named [Archive]

Roughneck93

06-29-2017, 07:54 PM

Durham takes over Sweeny baseball

By NATHAN WRIGHT (https://thefacts.com/users/profile/nathanwright)nathan.wright@thefacts.com

SWEENY — After one year as an assistant coach at Sweeny and a lifetime in Southern Brazoria County, Mark Durham has been promoted to head coach of the Bulldogs.

Durham takes over for David Luster, who was the head coach at Sweeny for four seasons.

“I’m excited, extremely excited,” Durham said. “I have been an assistant for I don’t know, 12 years or more and I am just excited for the opportunity.”

This is Durham’s first head coaching job. He began his coaching career at Columbia before heading to Teague for a couple of seasons, and then returned to Columbia where he coached until he moved to Sweeny prior to last season.

Durham went to high school in West Columbia and college at Brazosport College. He said he always wanted to be a coach, but after college he pursued something that paid a little more.

When he became unhappy, he decided to return to education and coaching.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” Durham said. “I knew I wanted to coach. I pursued other interests that paid more. I did computer drafting for a company in Texas City and Houston. I wasn’t happy. So then I got back into education and finished my degree and started teaching.”

Durham takes over a tradition-rich program at Sweeny that he has been familiar with as a player at Columbia, a coach for the Roughnecks and then a year as an assistant with the Bulldogs.

“I played at Columbia High School back in the ’80s and early ’90s so I knew Sweeny always had a strong tradition in baseball, “Durham said. “They have always been very good, very competitive. When I moved over this past year, I knew they had some talent; they had some talented kids.

“Its exciting. I know people in Sweeny love baseball and take it serious. That’s a good thing. I just hope to continue the success and build on it. They have had some good coaches and some good teams. I just hope I can continue what they put in place.”

Durham takes over a Sweeny team that went 20-10 last season and 10-0 in District 26-4A. The Bulldogs advanced to the second round of the playoffs where they lost a pair of 1-run games to Navarro.

Among the players returning for Durham are district newcomer of the year junior Caden Homnick and pitcher of the year senior Ty Ringo.

“I was real excited when I came over this past year,” Durham said. “I knew what kind of talent they had. I coached at Columbia all those years and we would see them every year. I just knew they were very talented and knew they were good.

“It was exciting this past year. To be the coach now, its a little more stressful, but it is exciting knowing what you have coming back. I know those kids. They know me. It should be a smooth transition I hope.”

In addition to his baseball coaching duties, Durham will remain the assistant head coach and offensive line coach of the Bulldog football team.

http://thefacts.com/sports/article_b9d1e27a-1456-5c32-ac04-46333fdfe6b6.html