Former Auburn player J.C. Mitcham, who played for Altizer, takes over the dugout.
“I want to build respectful young men and use baseball to prepare them to accomplish in life whatever they may choose. Just like Erik (Altizer) and all my ball playing coaches did for me,” he said this past week.
Mitcham has been an active coach in the Montgomery County Recreation program and helped with Auburn middle school and junior varsity softball. As a player, he played at Auburn, graduating in 2004 and was named to the Virginia High School Coach’s Association all-star game. He was named first-team all-state, all-region and all-district two times, finishing with a .356 batting average and held a record for putouts and assists his senior year with 320 putouts and 123 assists.
“From rec ball to JV to varsity to American Legion, I always had good coaches in such a fundamentally based attention to detail sport. I want to pass on that knowledge that I learned and have studied for years and wanted to carry on the tradition of respect class and moral values of Auburn baseball program that have helped me in life that my coaches installed in me,” he said.
Mitcham admits it is a little intimidating coming into a program that has had such success and the same coach for 25 plus years. “But hopefully, it is easy with the base principles Eric has left along with plenty of talent.”
