Oneonta's Hughes named Northeast Coach of the Year

Nick Richardson, The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
·2 min read

Jun. 22—Oneonta varsity baseball coach Joe Hughes was named the Northeast Section Baseball Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High Schools (NFHS) for the 2019-20 season.

Hughes was presented with the award at a private ceremony held on Wednesday, June 16. After being named the New York Coach of the Year, Hughes earned the top honor in the NFHS's Northeast Section that included the top coaches from the states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey. The award made Hughes one of the eight finalists for the NFHS National Coach of the Year Award.

"It's a very nice honor," Hughes said. "I'm very humbled by it. It takes a lot of people, the school district, the players, the coaches, it takes a lot to be able to coach for that long."

Hughes was presented with the award by longtime Section IV Executive Director Ben Nelson, who retired this year after 23 years in the position.

"He's a good person to get the award from," Hughes said of Nelson.

While the 2020 high school baseball season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Hughes said the awards also took into account past achievements.

The list of Hughes' achievements at the high school level is a long one. In more than 30 years as the coach of the Yellowjackets, Hughes has compiled a record of 528 wins and 220 losses, won nine league titles, four Section IV titles, two Regional titles, made two appearances in the State Championship Game (2002, 2012), and won the 2012 Class B State Championship.

This was also the second time he was named the NFHS New York Coach of the Year (the first time coming in 2012).

He's also seen nine of his former players go on to play professional baseball, most notably Clay Bellinger, who won two World Series titles with the New York Yankees in 1999 and 2000, and Tim Christman, who made one appearance for the Colorado Rockies in 2001.

Erik Neander, another former OHS player, is the current general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays.

For all the accolades, Hughes said his proudest achievement is how many players he's seen carry their love of baseball with them after they've left Oneonta High and the diamond that now bears the name Joe Hughes Field.

"The thing I'm most happy about is the number of players that are still involved with the game. So many former players are coaches now, either coaching in high school or college," he said. "I feel very lucky."