An era will undoubtedly end at the conclusion of the 2012-2013 softball season at KSU.
Scott Whitlock, one of the most instrumental figures in KSU sports history, announced his retirement on Saturday at the annual alumni game and Circle of Honor induction ceremony at the Bailey Softball Complex.
Whitlock has coached the softball team at KSU for 27 years. This season will be his last.
“I know the time is right,” Whitlock said. “I have had a great ride and a lot of fun, but after weighing things over the past three months, I just feel that it’s now a good time to start the process of having someone with fresher eyes and new ideas step in to lead our program.”
“The past twenty eight years wasn’t a dream come true, because I could have never dreamed that I would have had such a rewarding career,” Whitlock said.
Whitlock’s career is full of accolades, and he was influential in helping the Owls make a smooth transition from DII to DI in 2006.
Since KSU was added to the Atlantic Sun Conference, Whitlock has been named A-Sun Coach of the Year three times (2006, 2007, 2012).
From 1991 to 2008, Whitlock’s teams posted 18 straight seasons with at least 35 wins. From 1991 to 2002, the Owls finished in the top- 10 in the nation every year.
What made Whitlock’s career, and especially its finish, unique is its humble beginnings.
Like other former coaches at KSU, including former cross country coach Stan Sims, who retired last season, Whitlock did not come to KSU as a high-price coaching prospect.
“My entire career has been a wonderful accident,” Whitlock said. “I didn’t leave home to become a coach, I was going to be a Business Major and then conquer the world.”
“Coaching kind of found me while I was in college,” Whitlock said.
Despite humble beginnings, Whitlock steered the Owls to a 227-161 DI record and hopes to help continue the growth of the softball team this year.
“I am so excited about the 2013 season and am going to give it all that I’ve got,” Whitlock said. “We’ve had a great fall and have the potential to have a special season. I couldn’t ask for a better group of players and coaches with which to work during my last season.”
Whitlock’s career is accompanied by many accolades, including an induction into the National Fastpitch Coaches Hall of Fame and the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame.
He will continue to serve as the associate athletics director under Vaughn Williams, who arrived as the Director of Athletics last fall.
“No doubt, Scott Whitlock has been an icon to Kennesaw State University and KSU Athletics,” Williams said. “He has been very instrumental to every phase of every growth of this institution. His legacy does not end, but it continues just in another way that will benefit this institution. He will become an important part of the administrative senior management team. I am very honored and fortunate to work with an individual that has been so successful in impacting lives and really showcasing the values of Kennesaw State then, now and in the future.”
KSU’s softball team will open its final season under Whitlock’s leadership on Friday, Feb. 8 against Coastal Carolina at the Bailey Softball Complex.
Following the year, current co-head coach and coach-I waiting, Wes Holly Jr., will take over the program.
“It has been an honor to have worked with coach Whitlock here at Kennesaw State,” Holly Jr. said. “It is a bitter sweet moment for me as he has been a mentor, peer, co-worker, and friend, and he has done so much for KSU and for the game that he will always have a place here and at my table.”
