Hahnville High representatives confirmed Friday that Jared Vial has been named the new head coach of the Hahnville baseball team.
Vial is crossing over from the Tigers’ archrival, as he has been an assistant coach for the Destrehan Wildcats for the past seven years. However, he is no stranger to the purple and gold, as he is a Hahnville alumnus who stood out at catcher for the Tigers during his playing days, earning All-District accolades.
He succeeds David Baudry, who announced last month that he was stepping down from the Tigers’ head coaching position, a role he held for 10 years.
“It’s obviously an honor,” Vial said, “To carry on the tradition Hahnville has and the impact Hahnville baseball has on the community, to keep it going … it’s a special thing.”
Vial has a strong coaching pedigree. He is the son of former longtime Hahnville head softball coach Kenneth Vial, who led the Lady Tigers to a Class 5A state championship and three consecutive Class 5A title game appearances from 2010-2012.
The Luling native played collegiate ball at LSU-Shreveport, where he posted a career batting average of .329, including a senior season of .416. He hit five home runs and drove in 33 in his final season.
Vial said the decision to leave Destrehan was a tough one, but it felt like the right time.
“The relationship I had with those guys (at Destrehan) … I learned a lot from Chris Mire, and I have a lot of respect for him,” Vial said. “It was definitely not an easy call to make that decision. When I heard about the job opening, the more I talked to my wife and family members … it felt right, like the hard work I’ve been putting in has led me to this, and to feel like I can do something special at Hahnville.”
One thing he’s known for quite some time, though, is that he had aspirations to one day become a head baseball coach.
“Yeah, I mean from the beginning, my dad doing what he did at Hahnville … you grow up seeing somebody run their program, and the success they had with Hahnville softball,” Vial said. “You dream of building a successful program that not only can win, but represents the rich tradition of what Hahnville represents in this parish.”
He has already experienced both sides of the Hahnville-Destrehan rivalry, as player and coach, and soon he will have coached on both sides of it as well.
“The last couple graduating classes at Destrehan, those have been my guys the past several years … so seeing both sides of it, makes me respect the hard work that was done and is currently being done in the East bank side. I’m forever grateful for what they’ve done for me,” Vial said.
The goal Vial has, he said, is for his team at Hahnville to be tough-minded.
“I want people to know of us, ‘They play the game the right way, they respect themselves and their teammates, and they want to win.’ The mindset I try to have with my players, respect the game, because the game’s gonna respect you. Make sure you take care of your business from the moment you wake up until you go to bed.”
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