ROANOKE, Va. – Rodney Spradlin has been a proven winner and program builder at any of the programs he has been a part of.
Rodney Spradlin has been named the new baseball head coach at North Cross School, Director of Athletics Jeremy Eubank announced on Friday.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Rodney as our new baseball head coach,” said Eubank. “Rodney has a wealth of experience as a coach and scout for over 30 years. He is a proven communicator, motivator, who will build strong relationships with our student-athletes and parents. Rodney understands the expectations of our program and will attack this opportunity with unmatched energy and work ethic.”
Spradlin has been around the game for over 30 years; winning a state championship with William Byrd High School in 1997, serving as a Associate Scout at the Major League Baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays, with his most recent coaching position serving as baseball head coach for James Breckenridge Middle School and was inducted in 2018 in the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame.
“I have seen them the last few years with my job with a Commonwealth games, my job with associate scouts,” said Spradlin. “I’ve been over here to see some guys, either guys on their team or guys coming in here so I have seen what the program has been like for the last few years and in the back of my mind I’m thinking this is a pretty nice place. They have the nicest playing surface in the area and I think it’s a gold mine and I’m excited to get started.”
Spradlin will assume his role as head coach for the coming 2024-25 academic year. This past season the Raiders earned a berth to the VISAA State Baseball Tournament where they fell in the quarterfinals to Highland School out of Warrenton. Spradlin will follow in long-time baseball coach Eric Lawrence, who retired at the end of the season following 30 years as coach and collected his 300 win.