Frank Hood Hired as Next Baseball Coach for Arundel
When the opportunity arose for Frank Hood to be able to coach baseball at the school where he graduated from, whose community he lives in and where he already teaches, it was too good to turn down. Hood, who has led Southern-AA to the last two MPSSAA 2A state championships, is leaving the Bulldogs to go coach at Arundel.
"Arundel was an attractive option for many reasons. First, Arundel is in my blood going back to my grandfather, father, mother, aunts, uncles, cousins, brother and sister have all attended Arundel," Hood said. "There is a mystique about growing up and watching the evolution of a program. At some point while growing up, I always had a next door neighbor who was on the baseball team. It was the thing to do and where I gained a passion for the game."
Hood, who is a resident of Odenton, got the opportunity to get involved with the Arundel community once again when he started teaching social studies there 10 years ago. Initially, he helped as an assistant with the Wildcats, before getting the opportunity to become head coach at Southern-AA.
"Southern was a great experience. It allowed me to mold and build my own program that had limited expectations. Every player within the program became part of the family and lent each other support" Hood said. "The Bulldogs should be set up for a continued run of success with whoever takes over the program. There is strong senior leadership still left over with several players who have been part of back to back state title runs."
Looking forward, Hood is inheriting a team who is a member of the competitive 4A East region, which is comprised mostly of Anne Arundel schools. He is hoping to emulate the success he had at Southern-AA with Arundel.
"In athletics, the short term and long term goals blend together," Hood said. "You want to develop outstanding student-athletes and help them find the right fit for college. You also want to win regional and state championships."
"Arundel was an attractive option for many reasons. First, Arundel is in my blood going back to my grandfather, father, mother, aunts, uncles, cousins, brother and sister have all attended Arundel," Hood said. "There is a mystique about growing up and watching the evolution of a program. At some point while growing up, I always had a next door neighbor who was on the baseball team. It was the thing to do and where I gained a passion for the game."
Hood, who is a resident of Odenton, got the opportunity to get involved with the Arundel community once again when he started teaching social studies there 10 years ago. Initially, he helped as an assistant with the Wildcats, before getting the opportunity to become head coach at Southern-AA.
"Southern was a great experience. It allowed me to mold and build my own program that had limited expectations. Every player within the program became part of the family and lent each other support" Hood said. "The Bulldogs should be set up for a continued run of success with whoever takes over the program. There is strong senior leadership still left over with several players who have been part of back to back state title runs."
Looking forward, Hood is inheriting a team who is a member of the competitive 4A East region, which is comprised mostly of Anne Arundel schools. He is hoping to emulate the success he had at Southern-AA with Arundel.
"In athletics, the short term and long term goals blend together," Hood said. "You want to develop outstanding student-athletes and help them find the right fit for college. You also want to win regional and state championships."
| July 10th, 2015 | By: Wick Eisenberg |