Shaw named IHSBCA's District Coach of the Year

Clay City head baseball coach Larry Shaw (center) was presented with his Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association District Coach of the Year plaque by the school's athletic administrators before Monday's game against Northview.

Adler Ingalsbe photo

At the start of the New Year, Clay City head baseball coach Larry Shaw received a message he didn’t foresee popping into his inbox.

The longtime leader of the Eels was named the District Coach of the Year by the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association and was invited to the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame and Coaches of the Year Banquet held at the Sheraton Hotel in Indianapolis at the end of January.

Shaw was humbled to receive the award and credited his coaching staff – David Smith, Ryne Hayes, Hunter Adams, Brody Shaw and Noah Atkinson – for helping him create a culture that expects to win on a consistent basis.

“It was pretty humbling receiving that award,” said Shaw. “When I came here, I had it in my mind that I wanted to change the mindset and have a consistently good team that’s fundamentally sound. I’ve had a few umpires praise us for how we’ve changed things down here. When you hear that, it’s pretty humbling. We have so many good teams in our area and then here I am standing there at the end [with this award], so I was pretty shocked. It’s an honor.”

The Coach of the Year award capped off what Shaw described as ‘a magical run’ that saw Clay City accomplish several notable feats during the 2023 season – become outright Southwestern Indiana Athletic Conference champions for the first time in program history; be ranked No. 1 in the Class A polls for the first time in school history; and advance to the sectional championship game – that will be remembered for eternity.

“I knew we were going to do great things last year. We had a good combination of great leadership and a really good pitching staff,” Shaw said. “We just had such a great group of kids that fit into their roles.”

Wanting to do something special for him, his wife, Rebecca, the coaching staff and the Clay City athletic administration honored Shaw before Monday’s game against Northview by presenting him with the IHSBCA plaque. And while Shaw isn’t one that wants the spotlight shining down on him, he was humbled to receive the loud applause for his achievement.

“When I caught wind that they were planning this thing, I was like, ‘You don’t need to do that,’ but I have a great group of guys around me on this coaching staff,” said Shaw.