Central Georgia Coaches Carousel: ACE softball and volleyball, Tattnall girls basketball
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
ACE promotes Claxton to take over softball program, Wheeler for volleyball
The second head softball coach in ACE Gryphons history won’t have to go far to take over for the first one.
They worked together.
Andrew Claxton has been bumped up to the top spot to succeed Josh McLendon, the school announced in a Wednesday morning release on social media.
The news came about 38 hours after McLendon was announced as the new head softball coach at Dublin. The Gryphons and Irish are in the same region.
ACE also announced the promotion of Lonnie Wheeler as the new volleyball coach.
Claxton graduated from Johnson County in 2013 and spent a year on the Georgia Southwestern roster before moving to East Georgia State where he caught and played infield.
He was the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association defensive player of the year in 2015, also earning Gold Glove honors that season.
He went 70-59 as Johnson County’s head softball coach, also working with baseball.
Wheeler has spent most of his career in Central Georgia, with stops at Mary Persons, Mount de Sales and Jones County, as well as Ola and Locust Grove.
Wheeler led Ola from 2006-18, winning several county championships. Along the way, his teams have reached 15 state tournaments, with three trips to the Elite Eight and once to the Final Four.
The Air Force veteran graduated from Georgia Southern and succeeds Christy Donaghy.
Tattnall names new girls basketball coach (with Stratford soccer genes)
An all-star and all-state playing background at a rival is part of the resume of Tattnall’s new head girls basketball coach.
The school announced Lauren Spillers Hodge on Wednesday morning
She’s a Stratford grad (2007) who was part of the Eaglettes’ run of GISA girls soccer dominance at the start of this century. Hodge, then Lauren Spillers, helped Stratford to three straight state titles, finishing her high school career with 49 goals and 44 assists and as the MVP of the 2005 championship game.
She was also an all-state and all-star basketball player at Stratford under head coach Ed Smith.
Hodge played college soccer at Kennesaw State, and received advanced degrees from Middle Georgia State and Nova Southeastern.
The release gave no information on her coaching background. As per incomplete MaxPreps information – which is solely based on information submitted by schools and coaches – she has several years of experience atas head girls basketball coach at Covenant Academy.
She succeeds Matt Chambless, whose contract was not renewed.