HAMPTON — Shane Harrison, who has been Virginia Peninsula Community College’s interim baseball coach since October, was named the team’s permanent head coach on April 20.
“He stepped in at a time where we were really, really in need. He’s done a remarkable job,” said Chris Moore, the college’s athletics director and men’s basketball coach. “He asks a lot of questions. He wants to get better. He wants to grow every day in his role as a head coach.”
Harrison was an assistant responsible for coaching outfielders and hitters on last year’s team, which went 20-27 — the first 20-win season in school history. He also did a lot of recruiting, according to the college.
While not knowing if he would be the coach in 2024, the college noted he always took the approach he would and told his players they should approach the situation the same way, an attitude that impressed Moore.
“Dedication is huge, especially in (junior college),” Moore said. “Shane’s a wonderful guy. I think he’s going to do a wonderful job, and he cares.”
Harrison said the players showed dedication, also.
“I just want to thank you all for sticking it out, not turning tail and running going, ‘We don’t have a head coach. He’s not official. He’s an interim,’” Harrison told his players after Moore gave them the news in a meeting at Gators Cafe.
Harrison, 50, was born and raised in Poquoson. A Poquoson High School graduate, he played high school and American Legion baseball.
He got into coaching because his father was a coach, according to VPCC. His first coaching job came in youth baseball at the age of 19, and he spent a number of years as a middle school football coach before concentrating on baseball.
Harrison is the manager of a local glass business and vice president of the Peninsula Co Pilots, an AAU baseball and softball organization for boys and girls ages 9-18.
For more information, visit the VPCC Athletics website.