Trinity tabs Mansmann to lead baseball program

Trinity made it official this week by naming Chad Mansmann as the new head baseball coach. (File Photo)

By TIM GAYLE

It’s a baseball program known statewide for its high standards with seven state championships and 20 appearances in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs over the years. 

Ken Whittle was selected to the high school Hall of Fame for what he accomplished during his 43 years at Trinity Presbyterian and assistant coach Chad Mansmann couldn’t help but feel the history as he stepped into the coaching box for the 2024 season. 

“I have to keep my own coaching style, but the way he runs a team is very similar to other guys that I’ve either played under or coached with,” Mansmann said. “Coach (Bobby) Carr is very similar in that manner, how he gets guys to buy in to each other, not just him, and create a good team chemistry. I’m a big fan of tradition. I love being part of a good tradition and the fact remains that Coach Whittle built this program and it probably wouldn’t have had the success it did without him. I’m excited to be a part of it and to continue that tradition.”

Trinity officials announced on Wednesday that Mansmann will be the program’s fourth baseball coach, succeeding Whittle in 2025.

“We are excited that Chad Mansmann will be the next head coach of the Trinity baseball program,” head of school Suzanne Satcher said in a press release from the school. “He is a Christ-like leader who excels at building strong relationships with young athletes. Chad is dedicated to fostering an environment where players can thrive, and he is focused on setting high expectations and guiding the team with integrity. We are confident that Coach Mansmann will lead our baseball program into a bright and successful future.”

Whittle had initially retired after the 2021 season and his assistant, Jarrod Cook, took over in 2022 and 2023, leading the Wildcats to the 3A state championship and the 4A quarterfinals in his two seasons. But a coaching upheaval at Trinity led Cook to take the head coaching position at Lee-Scott Academy on July 31, leaving new athletic director Brian Seymore little time to find a replacement.

Seymore had just hired Mansmann from his position as an assistant baseball coach at Marbury, but elected to lure Whittle out of retirement for one more season with the Wildcats in 2024. Whittle gave up his third-base coaching position to Mansmann, who initiated a more aggressive style that resulted in more than 100 stolen bases by the Wildcats this season. Although it looked a lot like Mansmann was auditioning for the role he received on Wednesday, he said he never felt that way.  

“It might have been kind of auditioning for the role, but I never felt like that at any time,” he said. “The very first day I walked on campus, you hear all these good things about Coach Whittle and I was a little nervous to be around him. He ends up being the nicest, most humble person that I’ve ever met. He’s got tons of accolades and tons of wins and when you meet him and don’t know anything about him, you would never know that stuff.

“So after meeting him, I really wanted to take this time and learn under him. No matter what happened -- whether I got the job, didn’t get the job -- I knew I was going to be better because I was going to be around him. I just used this year to soak in as much knowledge as I could. And not just baseball knowledge, just how he manages things and people and how he communicates with others. 

Mansmann played for Carr’s Edgewood Academy baseball (and football) teams in the 2000s, participating on state championship teams in 2004 and 2006, his junior season. After graduating in 2007, he went to Lurleen B. Wallace Community College and then Auburn University Montgomery.

His first job was as Edgewood’s junior varsity coach under Carr in 2012, 2014 and 2015 before moving on to Pike County as football assistant and head baseball coach for a year and Mary Montgomery for a year, where he worked for Seymore. He was a varsity assistant in baseball and a middle school coach in football for the last six years at Marbury (2018-2023) before joining the Trinity football staff in July, 2023.

“I witnessed his dedication to our players, our program, and our school,” Whittle said in the school’s press release. “It is evident that his priority is to be a witness for Christ and to instill that love for Christ in his players. I feel confident that Trinity’s baseball program is in great hands with Coach Mansmann at the helm. He and his family are a tremendous asset to Trinity.”

Whittle started his coaching career in 1979 as an assistant baseball coach under Johnny Butler before the program disbanded in 1980. He became the head coach in 1981 and served for the next 41 years as the Wildcats’ coach. Under Whittle and Cook, the Wildcats have reached the baseball state playoffs in 34 of the 35 years since the modern playoff era of 32 teams (16 area champions and runners-up) was adopted in 1989.   

Seymore, who quickly narrowed the coaching search to two candidates, said he felt Mansmann was the right choice to continue the tradition. 

“Coach Mansmann has a commitment to excellence as well as a commitment to continual improvement,” Seymore said in the school’s release. “He strives to make those around him better every day. He is passionate about leading a championship culture at Trinity. Most importantly, Coach Mansmann is committed to impacting young people’s lives for Christ.”

When the school year started, Mansmann was an assistant football coach and would probably have the same role in baseball, although officials weren’t certain who that would be. By the end of the school year, Trinity baseball had posted a 28-10 record, earned another trip to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs and found its new head coach. 

“It was a very fun year,” Mansmann said. “It was probably the most enjoyable year I’ve had coaching. I got to learn under two older guys (Whittle and assistant Phillip Morgan) who were a lot more experienced than me, who had a lot more knowledge of kids and programs. It was fun, a great learning experience for me.

“I think it was all in God’s plan, the way it happened, and I couldn’t be more thankful. Not anything that I imagined. It’s good to have those guys there to implement some of the things you want done because I’m a brand-new face to the whole school. Coach Seymore’s the only one that really knows me. That’s something that takes time to build. And with Coach Whittle there, he’s got a proven track program. With him believing in me, it helps other guys to believe in me.”