How to Become a High School Baseball Coach

Across the country, there are nearly 500,000 high school baseball players who need a coach. If you’re passionate about baseball, becoming a high school baseball coach could be the perfect way to turn that passion into a career.

But in order to do that, you’re going to need the right information and a solid plan. That’s why we’ve put together this article. It covers everything you need to know about becoming a high school baseball coach so you can get started.

What does a high school baseball coach do?

High school baseball coaches do more than just lead their teams during games. They also do a ton of work during practices, before games, and after games to help players fulfill their potential.

As a high school baseball coach, you’ll have specific duties and responsibilities, as well as skills you’ll need to be successful in your career.

Duties and responsibilities

A high school baseball coach has several important duties and responsibilities. For example, they’re responsible for:

• Choosing the players that will be on the varsity, junior varsity, and freshman teams
• Organizing practices that help players develop key skills
• Putting together game plans, such as pitching rotations and batting orders
• Motivating the team
• Working with other coaches to implement strategies for improvement
• Direct players within the game

Skills

A high school baseball coach needs a well-rounded set of skills to carry out their duties and responsibilities. These include:

• Leadership and motivational skills
• Teaching ability
• A high level of baseball knowledge
• Physical fitness (to lead players through drills and provide examples)
• Knowledge of exercise and sports science to design conditioning regiments

How much does a high school baseball coach make?

The average salary for a varsity high school baseball coach is $20/hr or about $42,286 per year. That’s just a bit lower than the average salary in the United States, which is approximately $51,916.

That being said, your salary as a high school baseball coach could be higher or lower than this. The amount that you earn will depend on factors like:

• Where you live
• The type of school that you coach for
• Your experience
• How developed the school’s baseball program is

States with the highest-paying high school coaching jobs

If you’re flexible geographically, it could make sense to focus your coaching job search on the parts of the country that offer the highest pay levels.

According to data from Zippia, the states with the highest-paying high school coaching jobs are:

• California
• New York
• Hawaii
• Nevada
• Massachusetts

As a general rule of thumb, you can also expect to earn more in places with higher costs of living. For example, a high school baseball coach in New York City will likely earn more than one in rural New York state.

Getting your high school baseball coaching career started

Now that we know what high school baseball coaches do and how much they make, let’s dive into what it takes to become one. In order to get your first job as a high school baseball coach, you’ll need to satisfy each of the following requirements.

Education

You don’t technically need to have a college degree in order to become a high school baseball coach. But earning one can help you stand out from the other candidates you’re competing with for these job opportunities.

If you can still make this decision, it’s best to major in a field that’s related to sports in some way. This includes subject areas like:

• Kinesiology
• Physical education
• Sports medicine
• Nutrition and fitness

Certification

You might also consider earning a certification before looking for high school coaching jobs. These typically involve completing some classes and taking a certification exam. 

Earning a certification in physical education, coaching, or teaching can be a good way to fill the gaps in your application. 

For example, maybe you have a college degree, but it’s in an unrelated field like business. You can make up for that by earning a certification that shows you have experience in physical education as well.

Experience

Next up is getting some experience. If you have the right qualifications, it may be possible to get a head coaching job right away. But that’s not always realistic. You may need to begin your career by spending some time as an assistant coach.

Sometimes, high-level playing experience can make up for the lack of direct coaching experience. For example, if you played college or semi-professional baseball, an employer may look on that experience as equal to having some assistance coaching experience.

That being said, more is always better when it comes to experience.

Networking

Networking is another big part of getting your first job as a high school baseball coach. You can do that by attending coaching conferences, getting active in your local baseball community, and joining relevant professional organizations.

These are all opportunities to meet people who are interested in working in baseball as well. You never know when one of these relationships might pay off in the form of a job offer or a tip about a new opportunity before it gets too many applicants.

Networking is also a great way to get recommendations from people who may be able to have an impact on your career.

Find a high school baseball coaching job 

Are you interested in becoming a high school baseball coach? If so, JobsInSports.com can help you do it.

We maintain a comprehensive and up-to-date list of the best sports job opportunities throughout the country. You can sign up to receive instant notifications when a new high school coaching job becomes available. That way, potential employers see your job application first.

It’s why our service could be just what you need to find your first job in sports.

So why wait? Take the first step towards your first high school baseball coaching job by signing up for JobsInSports.com today.