Marysville High School head baseball coach Nick Blake, far right, watches Gabe Schaeffer slide safely into home during a 2019 game at Dublin Coffman. Blake, who will be entering his second season as the Monarch coach, has joined the district’s teaching staff.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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Nick Blake will now have an easier time getting from Point A to Point B without a stop in between.
The Marysville High School head varsity baseball coach has been added to the district’s teaching staff.
He will instruct geometry at the district’s stem school.
The 2019 spring season saw Blake on the road for quite a bit of time during his first campaign as the Monarchs’ head coach.
Blake lives in Dublin, but continued his sixth-grade math teaching duties at London.
He had previously been the head baseball coach for the Red Raiders before taking the MHS position.
After classes dismissed at London, he would drive to Marysville for baseball practices and games.
“This is just going to be easier from a logistics standpoint,” said Blake. “I’m not going to be on the road as much.”
Blake, who guided the Monarchs to a 15-12 record this past spring, said he’s happy to be joining the district on a full-time basis.
“This will allow me to be around some of our guys more,” he said. “I’ll be able to interact with them away from the baseball field.
“I’ll be able to do more for the school and baseball program.”
The Monarch squad has been busy this summer.
“We’ve been hitting the weight room pretty hard and there is a strong effort there,” said Blake. “We have also been holding practice sessions as part of our 10 days of off-season coaching.”
The Monarchs have been on the practice field on Tuesdays from 3-6 p.m. this summer and will continue those sessions until the end of the month.
“August begins the no-contact period as far as baseball,” said Blake.
The Marysville varsity coaching staff will also have a little different look for the 2020 season.
MHS graduate Jarod Yoakam, who served as MHS’ pitching coach last spring, has taken a teaching position at Olentangy Liberty.
He will also serve on the Patriots’ football and baseball coaching staffs.
“Jarod did a great job with our pitchers during his first year of coaching,” said Blake of the former University of Cincinnati hurler. “We had a team ERA of around 3.00 and the kids really loved him.
“We are going to miss Jarod and our next pitching coach will have big shoes to fill.
“Jarod is going to be a good head coach some day when he gets that opportunity,” he said.
Blake, who is working with MHS pitchers this summer, said he has a handful of prospects in mind to replace Yoakam on the staff.
“We’ve got some on the radar,” he said. “However, we don’t yet have anything firm.”