Marietta hires Josh Davis as new baseball coach
May 27—New Marietta baseball coach Josh Davis is looking to wake a sleeping giant.
While the Blue Devils' program has produced players like current Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson and former first-round draft pick Chevez Clarke, the overall performance of the team has struggled in recent years.
After Marietta went 7-22 in 2022, continuing a run of not making the playoffs that dates back to 2015, Davis said he is hoping to bring it back to prominence.
"(Marietta) has always had good players," said Davis, who will be introduced during a meet-and-greet at the school Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. "The potential is there. Marietta is in the amateur baseball capital of the world. Everyone comes through Cobb County during the summer.
"The program has great tradition, and we want to bring it back to a high level."
Davis also added that there will also be facility upgrades in the near future. Jackie Smallwood Field will be getting a new artificial-turf surface soon, which Davis said will put the Blue Devils' home on par with the best playing fields in the county.
Davis, the son of former Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves catcher Jody Davis, is entering his third year of coaching at the high school level, most recently spending two years at Harrison as an assistant under Mark Elkins.
Prior to that, Josh Davis spent 12 years coaching at the college level, serving as Georgia State's recruiting coordinator and pitching coach from 2017-2020. During his time, the Panthers' pitching staff set program records in strikeouts per game and for pickoffs in a season.
Davis also spent time as a Division I assistant at Richmond and Presbyterian, as well as on the junior college level at Richland College in Texas, which he helped lead to a national championship in 2009. During his 12 years coaching in college, Davis coached six All-Americans and had more than 20 players drafted or signed to professional contracts.
Between growing up around major league clubhouses and learning from successful coaches during his career, Davis said he is looking forward to passing on that knowledge to his players.
"Growing up around major leaguers and seeing how things are done, it seems the higher you go, the more simply things are taught," Davis said. "Our goal is to get better, and I believe winning is a byproduct of that work."
Another goal Davis has is to open the door for more young players in the Marietta area to be introduced to the sport. He said he has an idea in the works for a Little League-type of organization for children who do not play travel ball, but want to experience the national pastime.
"I'm pretty passionate about it," Davis said. "It's an idea that would provide a way to serve the community.
Davis is a native of Gainesville and helped Gainesville High School win three straight state championships from 1996-98 as a player. He played his college ball at Virginia Tech, Tallahassee Community College and Charleston Southern before signing a free agent contract with the Chicago Cubs organization.
