Grant Young has been named Washington High School’s new varsity softball coach. The hire was approved by the Board of Education on Wednesday, June 29.
Young replaces Philip King, who recently was named the new Director of Four Rivers Career Center.
Young previously served as the junior varsity head coach for the WHS softball program. He has been with the Blue Jays softball program for six years.
“I’m excited. It’s a new challenge in my coaching career,” Young said. “We want to continue to build on the success that coach King had during his time as head coach. We have the majority of our state championship team coming back, so we’re looking forward to the season.”
A 1996 Union High School graduate, Young has been Washington High School’s varsity boys basketball coach for the last nine years. His first year at WHS was the 2013-14 school year. He will remain the varsity boys basketball coach at Washington.
Young has coached girls basketball at Union, Wheatland, Neosho and Purdy. He also coached the Wheatland boys. He led Purdy to the Class 2 state basketball championship in 2011. He also served as Purdy’s athletic director.
Young started his coaching career at Wheatland High School, where he was athletic director and coached both the boys and girls basketball teams, and was the assistant softball coach for five years. He also was the head softball coach at Neosho for one year.
“We are excited to have Coach Young assume the head coach position of our softball program. He brings previous experience and a true passion for the game. The current student athletes in our softball program certainly enjoy his enthusiasm,” said WHS Activities Director Bill Deckelman. “We are looking forward to the next chapter of Blue Jay softball.”
In addition to King leaving the WHS softball program, varsity assistant coach Dane Gough resigned following the fall season to focus more time on his family and running the WHS baseball program as the head coach.
Tim Zumsteg, who has coached with Young on the junior varsity level for the softball program, will move up to be the new varsity assistant coach.
Logan Schamerloh and Craig Vonder Haar will coach the junior varsity team.
“It will be a new look, but Coach Zumsteg and myself have been in the program for a number of years. A lot of the varsity girls played for us on the JV level,” Young said.
Young is taking over a Blue Jays team that captured the Class 4 state softball championship last year with a 32-5 record. Only one senior graduated from last year’s team.
“It should be a fun season. MSHSAA is allowing teams to play more games and we’ve beefed up our schedule. We’ll be playing against some quality teams,” Young said. “Hopefully playing against a tough schedule will help prepare us for the postseason and possibly making another run at state.”
Grant and his wife, Julia, have two sons. Kaner is entering his junior year at Washington High School and Ryker is entering sixth grade at Augusta Elementary. Julia is a third-grade teacher at Augusta. The Young family resides in Washington.
Grant Young
Changing of the Guard
Grant Young, far left, is the new varsity head softball coach at Washington High School. Tim Zumsteg, second from left, is the new varsity assistant. Young and Zumsteg previously coached the WHS junior varsity softball team. Dane Gough, second from right, stepped down as varsity softball assistant coach following last season, but remained the WHS Head Baseball Coach. Philip King, far right, recently stepped down as Head Softball Coach after being named Director of Four Rivers Career Center.