Battle High School elevates Bobby Baker to head baseball coach

Battle High School has selected its next head baseball coach, promoting a man who had a direct hand in leading the program this past season.

The Spartans tabbed Bobby Baker as their next head coach. He served as the team's associate head coach this past season.

Baker takes over for Joe Henderson, who retired after the 2022 season, according to Battle activities director Alex Huck.

"We’re very excited for Coach Baker to take over the Battle baseball program," Huck said. "He has been a mainstay over recent years in both the baseball and softball programs, and has done an amazing job filling in for Coach Henderson as interim over the second half of the spring season."

This marks Battle baseball's third head coach in the past four seasons. Doug Boyer stepped down from coaching Battle in summer 2020 after seven years at the helm.

Huck told the Tribune in April that Baker was serving as interim head coach as needed. Henderson was dealing with health issues that kept him away from the team at times.

Henderson retired from coaching softball this past fall.

Now, Baker takes over a young Battle baseball team that's looking to build.

The Spartans finished 2022 with a 10-17 record. Battle graduated six seniors — Beckett Rowson, Braydon Samp, Noah Fuller, Caven Wheeler, Seth Wray and Donovan Hicks — but will have a talented junior class to build upon.

"We've got a lot of people coming back," Baker told the Tribune after losing to Blue Springs South in the Class 6 District 5 Tournament. "There's so many negatives always, so we focus on the positives."

Baker joined Battle in 2016 as a summer coach to incoming freshman players. He became a full-time coach in 2018 with the Battle softball team.

In 2020, Baker joined the baseball coaching staff.

"Coach Baker has great familiarity with both the baseball program and the Battle community, and we are excited for him to continue to build upon the baseball tradition," Huck said. "He is a student-athlete-first coach and brings with him a great knowledge base of the game."

Chris Kwiecinski is the sports editor for the Columbia Daily Tribune, overseeing University of Missouri and Boone County sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter @OchoK_ and contact him at CKwiecinsk@gannett.com or 573-815-1857.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Battle elevates Bobby Baker to head baseball coach