Photo Courtesy of Blessed Trinity High School

ROSWELL—Blessed Trinity High School head baseball coach Andy Harlin was one of five new members inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place on Jan. 11 at the Marietta Hilton and Conference Center.

Harlin said his jaw hit the ground when he first learned he was to be an inductee.

“This is a great state for baseball and baseball coaches, and to receive that honor is unbelievably humbling,” he said.

During the induction ceremony, Harlin thanked his wife, Jamie, for her support over the years, his parents who instilled hard work and a love for the game, his family, his coaches and what he described as the “heart and lungs” of all this—the players.

“My name is on the plaque, but it represents all of those people,” said Harlin.

Harlin, 54, said he was originally a criminal justice major in college, because he wanted to be a police officer, but his mom guided him toward teaching and coaching.

“This is my 30th year teaching and coaching in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. This is my calling and I’m so glad I listened to my mom,” he said.

Harlin has only worked for two athletic directors—Mark Kelly, the former athletic director at St. Pius X High School, Atlanta, and Blessed Trinity’s Ricky Turner. While working at Christ the King School, Atlanta, Harlin coached baseball part-time for St. Pius in the afternoons, beginning with the 1989-1990 school year. Four years later, Kelly hired him as the school’s head baseball coach, where he remained until coming to Blessed Trinity during the 2001-2002 school year to head up its program.

Over his 30-year career, Harlin has compiled a record of 568-186-3 (433-107 at Blessed Trinity and 135-79-3 at St. Pius X). With nearly 600 victories, he ranks 13th all-time in wins among coaches in Georgia high school baseball.

He has coached Blessed Trinity teams to state baseball titles in 2006, 2014 and 2015. The team finished as state runner-up in 2016 and 2017. Blessed Trinity has won nine region championships since 2003.

Harlin is a five-time Georgia Dugout Club State Coach of the Year, a three-time Georgia Athletic Coaches Association (GACA) State Coach of the Year and a two-time American Baseball Coaches Association Region Coach of the Year.

Founded in 1962, the Georgia Dugout Club is Georgia’s Baseball Coaches Association representing many programs at the collegiate and high school level.