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Shyda steps down as Annville-Cleona baseball coach


Feeling "stretched too thin" by teaching, coaching and family responsibilities, Shyda stepped down after five seasons at the helm.

 

Scott Shyda has given 29 years of his life to the Annville-Cleona baseball program. And you can be sure he doesn't regret a second of it.

But he's also extremely devoted to both teaching and parenting, among other things, and believes that the time has come to set coaching - at least head coaching - aside for a while.

Because of that, Shyda decided this week to submit his resignation as A-C's head coach after five seasons at the helm. 

Prior to taking the head coaching job beginning with the 2013 season, Shyda spent 24 seasons as an assistant to longtime Dutchmen skipper Mike Capriotti. He then established his head coaching chops after Capriotti retired, going 67-44 and taking A-C to the postseason in each of his five seasons guiding the program.

"It has been a very difficult decision," Shyda said in a phone interview Friday afternoon. "I knew before the season started that this was gonna be a possibility. I was contemplating this before the season even started. I think it just boils down to being stretched too thin.

"Between my job here as a math teacher, then head baseball coach, and my responsibilities at home...I have a 10-year old daughter that's getting into softball, and I've already missed half of her season because of my own obligations here. Just being stretched a little too thin."

But as he noted, Shyda's decision was a difficult one, due in no small part to how much he enjoyed his five-year stint as head coach. 

"It's not something that was very easy to do," Shyda said. "I think it was the right one for me and my family at this point. But not easy.

"I'm not necessarily resigning from coaching, I'm just resigning as the head coach. We'll see how things play out."

Shyda's willingness to stay involved in a more low-profile way is consistent with his well-known low-key demeanor and focus on the team rather than the individual.

In short, he's never been comfortable with any spotlight being directed his way.

"The role I'm in doesn't matter a whole lot," he said. "It's not about me. I don't need to be the head guy, I've never been that way. It's about the kids. It's no different with teaching. I've been doing this 29 years and I enjoy teaching as much now as I ever did. And it's all because of the kids. These five years I've been head coach I could not have asked for better kids."

This season's team was one of Shyda's most enjoyable. And not just because it went 16-6 and qualified for both the Lancaster-Lebanon League and District 3 Class 3A playoffs.

"We've had a close group this year," Shyda said. "And I kinda knew this could be it for me, and it made things a little more special for me, knowing that this could be the last group I'd have as head coach. Just a really neat bunch of kids that are a lot of fun to be around. It's difficult, all of a sudden, when you're not around them anymore. It takes a little while to get used to not being at baseball every day."

Shyda also addressed chatter going around on social media that he was being forced out to make way for Melvin Dorta, the ex-Harrisburg Senators baseball player who was brought in as A-C's softball coach this past season.

Not true, Shyda assured.

"I don't know how things are going to turn out, but that certainly had absolutely nothing to do with my resignation," Shyda said. "That just didn't factor into it at all. As far as I know, that's just people talking. It kinda catches me by surprise when I hear it, because I don't hear it from the people that it would really mean something coming from. It's just kind of hearsay."

A-C posted the job opening publicly on Friday and will be accepting applications until June 16.