Hawthorne High School announced last week that it was hiring Matt Surrency as its new head baseball coach.

Surrency, who served as mayor of Hawthorne for 10 years, was Hawthorne’s head coach from 2004 to 2011 and had some success.

“We made the state playoffs several times before the new system came into being,” he said. “I’m the only Hawthorne coach to ever do that. We also won a couple of state championships in our summer high school Babe Ruth League until we lost in the Southeast Regional to the Alabama Raw Dogs in Mobile, Alabama, with freshmen from the University of South Alabama.”

He said the key to a winning season in his first stint as head coach was the fact that he had a lot of returning players from his time as an assistant coach.

“We always scheduled tough teams, including the Alachua County tournament,” he said. “We prided ourselves back then on limiting errors in all three phases of the game—manufacture runs with a small-ball mentality of putting pressure on the other team by getting the lead-off runner on base, getting him into scoring position and then driving him in. Most importantly, we had built a culture that focused on hard work and character, developing students of the game and in life. The players back then really bought into the program.”

Now that his public service is over, Surrency has more time to spend with family, along with the freedom to revisit his passion.

“I spent the past year as a volunteer at Hawthorne baseball and was asked if I’d consider taking it over,” said Surrency, who works as a financial advisor with Edward Jones. “My schedule is a lot more flexible now, so I’m able to make it work and spend time with my middle son at the same time.”

His middle son, Eli, who plays football and baseball for the Hornets, is a rising ninth grader and is a big reason why he decided to return.

“My oldest son, Jacob, grew up on the field with me as a kid,” Surrency said. “Maybe that burned him out. I intentionally didn’t want to pressure any of our boys to have to play a game they aren’t passionate about. I’ve seen too many instances of parents living vicariously through their kids, and it is a bad experience for everyone. However, Eli has been playing and extremely dedicated for the past few years and throws or hits outside just about every day at home.”

Surrency has spent the past few weeks with 18-year-old Jacob, who just graduated as valedictorian, 14-year-old Eli, and his youngest son, 10-year-old Gabe, at the field trying to clean it up and throwing and hitting together.

“It’s really an amazing time in my life,” he said.

The alum said his passion for America’s national pastime also brought him back to the game.

“Baseball has always been my first love,” he said. “I used to want to be a college baseball coach. Life had a way of changing my plans with the city going through a financial state of emergency. What I thought was going to be a couple years of public service with the City of Hawthorne Commission turned out to be 14 years. I believe we are all in the very place we are supposed to be at the right time.”

Surrency announced last year that he would not run for reelection as city commissioner, a role he continued after his stint as mayor. He now takes over a baseball program that has struggled since he left, even while Hawthorne basketball and football programs have won state titles.

The Hornet baseball team was 3-9 last year and has totaled just seven wins over the past four seasons.

“Historically Hawthorne has been a football and basketball school, and even during the offseason those guys are playing travel ball and doing camps,” Surrency said. “So, it is tough to show them the opportunities in baseball are more plentiful until we have success on the field again.”

He said in order for the program to be successful he believes it’s going to take “a consistent focus on the fundamentals,” as well as upgrading the facilities.

“The facility has a huge impact on your mental state of mind as soon as you see it. If your facility looks like garbage, then you feel like garbage,” Surrency said. “We must improve our facilities, equipment, and promotion of our student-athletes to the next levels.”

Since the news broke that Surrency was returning to the program, several players have reached out about helping the coach, or about their brother, cousin, or kids playing.

“Some had been going to school and weren’t interested in baseball,” he said. “Others were home schooled and zoned for Hawthorne but didn’t think about coming out. I think they are like me and don’t want to push their kids to do anything they don’t want to do. However, they hear the stories of how it used to be and are instantly excited about what could be.”

Surrency said the thing that has been amazing is the amount of people who have approached him about wanting to assist.

“I’ve had different businesses and former coaches, friends, community members from across the state wanting to help,” he said. “They know the difference that having a good program that builds character on and off the field can make in the lives of the students and the community. I’m excited about what we have drawn up and will be releasing soon.”

Surrency has high expectations.

“What we do in Hawthorne will be seen nationally,” he said. “Hopefully, what we do here can be replicated in any other community. We can always use more support.”