By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
SPRINGFIELD – Jerid Stokes sees himself as a big brother. At least one of his Effingham County baseball brethren jokingly calls him “Grandpa.”
Stokes, who graduated in 2019, has been there and done that as a Rebel athlete before returning to his alma mater’s coaching staff three years ago to do a little more.
“It’s baseball and once you love it, you can’t not love it,” said the busy 24-year-old who contributes to ECHS’ program as a community coach.
The Rebels are carving out a memorable season, entering the week with an 18-3 record and just two wins away from a subregion title.
And if ECHS players are curious about the potential pressure down the line, they only have to look at their first-base coach, who still looks like he could take some formidable swings at the plate.
As a senior, Stokes batted in the middle of the order for a squad that won a school-record 31 games and advanced to the Final Four of Class 6A state baseball championships.
He finished his prep playing days with a career .362 batting average.
Stokes also quarterbacked the football team, leading the team to a memorable 21-point comeback victory against Statesboro in 2017 when he threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns in the 38-34 thriller.
Later that football season, he threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in a state playoff game against Coffee.
But baseball was always his favorite sport and at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, he was and looked like a first baseman first and foremost.
“This team reminds of that (2019 team),” Stokes said. “We had a lot of seniors and we had good hitting and good pitching, just like this team. We had a strong bond and this team is the same. A lot of people talk about family when they’re describing a tight-knit team. That’s what this team is. They’re playing for each other and not just for themselves.”
Stokes’ coaching chores vary from hitting fungos to raking the mound to coaching first base. He says he’ll do whatever head coach Eric McCombie needs done.
But Stokes’ biggest contributions come from the intangibles.
“He’s a good bridge between us old hacks and staying connected with kids,” McCombie said. “Jerid has a unique way of relaying our message and not making it sound like Coachspeak.
“I think there’s a sense of pride. He knows we can be good here (as a program) and he wants to be part of it.”
Stokes, old enough to be the adult in the room, young enough to joke with, also gives kids a living template for doing things the right way off the field.
After graduating Effingham County High School, he attended Georgia Southern University and earned a degree in finance. He now works as an account manager at Capstone Benefits Consulting, LLC in Statesboro.
Stokes and his wife Bri had a baby girl, Hollyn, on March 11.
Thursday’s game against Lakeside was one of Stokes’ first games back with the Rebels. ECHS blew a three-run lead in the seventh inning and lost 4-3.
But Grandpa’s experiences can be comforting. So listen up you whipper snappers. Way back in 2019, when he was your age, his team suffered a devastating 11-1 loss to Class 2A Metter just before region play. Things turned out alright.
“We played terribly that day. We just needed a wakeup call to get back on track,” Stokes said. “These guys will be OK too.”
