Pinewood baseball coach Evan Powell is going out on top.
Powell took a struggling program and put his blood, sweat and tears into it to turn the program around. Six years after Powell took over as the head coach of the Panthers, the team claimed the SCISA AAA championship last week.
But if the Panthers are going to repeat, they’ll have to do it without the man who led them to their first state championship. Powell has accepted a job in Kingstree, which he will begin this summer.
“It’s ironic that I’m leaving now, but it’s a good move for my family,” Powell said. “It’s a great opportunity and if it hadn’t come along, I probably would have been at Pinewood for another six years.”
Powell, who is also Pinewood’s middle school principal, has accepted a job as the head of schools for Williamsburg Academy. He has mixed feelings about leaving the team, but is optimistic it will be left in good hands.
“It took a long time to build a baseball program and it took the whole Pinewood community to make it possible,” he said. “A lot of parent support, coach support and player support helped build this program. I can’t take credit for it, but I think it’s set up so someone else can come in and run with it.”
After five years of struggling to finish with a winning record, Pinewood ended this season with a 22 wins versus eight losses.
The school has received several applications for the coaching position, but is still accepting applications. Pinewood officials hope to fill the position in the next few weeks.

Contact Roger Lee @ 873-9424 ext. 213 or rlee@journalscene.com.