McCarter resigns as Bay baseball coach

PANAMA CITY - Christian McCarter has resigned as head baseball coach at Bay High School, he confirmed on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old said he wanted to leave baseball altogether, and cited more time with his family as a contributing factor in his decision. He spent 11 seasons as Bay's coach, his teams compiling a 197-119 record.

The search for the next coach will be under way soon, but could be hampered by a Bay District Schools hiring freeze. Like Mosley, where Coach Mike Williams recently resigned, Bay will not be able to put a coach in place from outside the district until the hiring freeze is resolved.

The position must be advertised within the school for five days and listed within the district for 10 days before outside interest can be gauged.

McCarter led Bay to a 15-12 record last season and one game shy of a regional tournament berth. Bay advanced to the regional round four times under McCarter, but the Tornadoes failed to move beyond the district tournament the past four seasons.

"I've coached baseball for 14 years and I'm taking this opportunity to spend more time with my family," said McCarter, who played football and baseball at Mosley. "I'm also pursuing another interest that I have, but I don't want to go deeper into that right now."

McCarter, who spent two seasons as an assistant under Harry Frank at Mosley and another season at Port St. Joe, said he will remain at Bay as a physical education teacher. He has been married to his wife, Kelli, for eight years. They have three children, with the youngest age 5.

McCarter said he will look back fondly on his time at Bay. He recalled 40 of his players moving onto the college ranks, including six being selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.

"It was nice to watch those kids develop and I'll always be proud of them," McCarter said.