Indian Land welcomes Hal Bagwell, Charlotte’s finest and state champion, as baseball coach
Hal Bagwell received quite the unusual job referral.
To be fair, he didn’t need a referral. His success speaks for itself. The man who helped guide him to becoming Indian Land High School’s new head baseball coach — departing head coach Joey Robinson — provides the unusual aspect of the story.
Robinson, who is stepping down to spend more time with his family, has a long history with Bagwell, including having coached alongside him for three years at Ardrey Kell in Charlotte. Bagwell announced his retirement from his post guiding the Knights to take the Warriors’ head coaching role earlier this week.
“This guy’s meant a lot to me. He’s gotten me in the game, brought me here, and has been with me every step of the way,” Robinson said of Bagwell Thursday night in a meeting announcing the changes. “The really awesome thing about this transition is that I wouldn’t have left it with anybody else. I told the administration here that if anybody else gets it, I’d be coming back and taking it. It’s Coach Bagwell’s (program).”
Bagwell comes to South Carolina having taken five teams to state championship appearances and his 2009 Ardrey Kell club to the state crown. Newly-crowned world champion Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood pitched for Bagwell at Ardrey Kell, while current Indian Land football coach Adam Hastings also worked alongside him at the school in the Blakeney area of south Charlotte.
Bagwell’s first victory at Indian Land will be memorable for one extra reason: It will be his 500th career victory as a coach, alongside just 165 losses.
“Our mission is to build a championship-caliber program at Indian Land High School — one that will be sustainable and recognized as the top program in South Carolina, and eventually the southeast,” Bagwell told players and parents in his introductory remarks. “That’s not simply a wish or a dream, or even just a phrase. It’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
Bagwell characterized himself as a thorough planner with a keen focus on attention to detail. He made it clear to his club he expects the same from them.
“No other team will be more prepared to compete than (Indian Land). I guarantee that,” Bagwell stated. “The planning, the meetings, the determination, the attention to the smallest of details, and everything in a first-class manner in doing that will be commonplace for us in this process and journey.”
Robinson’s blueprint for the program will guide Bagwell and his new staff during the transition, as will the core values the new skipper laid out to the team and parents.
“The words passion, pride, love, and accountability will be common language every day within our program,” outlined Bagwell.
Still, the relationships Bagwell has built off the field are just as important as — if not more so than — the success his teams have enjoyed between the lines.
“I’ve (heard) from former players, which makes you feel real good as a coach, because forget the championships, forget all that — just for them to say, ‘Coach, I appreciate what you did for me. I didn’t really know then, but I know now. Thank you.’ That’s huge,” Bagwell said. “I’ve (coached) from MLB (players) to doctors to lawyers to business owners. I’ve (coached) three Fortune 500 CFOs. It’s crazy. I’m proud of every one of them.”
A crew of accomplished coaches will be joining Bagwell in the Warrior dugout. Ray Korn, a 2015 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame inductee, will serve as the pitching coach. 2016 North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee Kim Cousar, who retired from Charlotte Latin in 2019 after a 30-year coaching career, will also join the staff. Jason Moody and John DeMaine will round out the group.
If Bagwell needs any extra help, his coaching student won’t be too far away from the program he helped to shape.
“It’s honestly addition by subtraction,” Robinson joked of his departure. “I’ll be back out to throw (batting practice). My fix is a baseball fix. I’ll definitely be around.
“I doubt I’ll even give him my only set of keys.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 9:16 AM.