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Hamilton baseball coach Mike Woods, who began the school's program in 1999, said he knew for a while that this was going to be his last year leading the Huskies.
He kept it quiet from his players until May 21, two days after leading them to a 10th 6A state championship, when he let them know he was retiring.
Hamilton's 10 state championships came in the last 23 years.
"I'll just take it easy for a while," Woods told The Arizona Republic. "I was kind of tired of being in charge. It's been a long run. It seemed to be time, time to let the next generation take over."
Woods has had several of his assistants with him for a long time. He said none are interested in taking over the program.
Woods said that Mike Spears and Frank Pezzorello, who have been part of his staff since the beginning, are retiring with him. Assistant coach Clay Bellinger was with the Huskies baseball staff for 20 years.
Hamilton High School opened in 1998 in Chandler. The first spring for baseball was '99. The Huskies won their first state title in 2003.
"The first senior class in 2002, we made it to the semis," Woods said. "That was our year and we didn't win it. We got beat by Tucson. I had hardly anybody back and we won it in '03."
Woods has produced numerous college players, including UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky. Five former Hamilton players have made it to the major leagues, including current New York Yankees star Cody Bellinger.
Eric Farris played for the Milwaukee Brewers. Pitcher Patrick Murphy was with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Washington Nationals. Pitcher Jake Wong had his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds three years ago. Pitcher Dom Hamel made his MLB debut in 2025 with the New York Mets.
Hamilton has produced five Gatorade Arizona high school baseball Players of the Year.
This year's team started 0-3 but overcame the slow start, battling through one of the hardest schedules in the state.
"We were kind of forgotten," Woods said. "Nobody was paying attention to us. We put together a pretty solid year. We played a really tough schedule.
"It was different for us to be the afterthought to the conversation. They just kept plugging."
Hamilton overcame a 7-0 deficit in the state final and beat defending champion Tempe Corona del Sol 10-7 for the state title. It was the largest deficit Hamilton ever came back from in a state championship game.
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. Please sign up for Azcentral Preps Now newsletter. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hamilton baseball coach Mike Woods retires
Continue reading...
He kept it quiet from his players until May 21, two days after leading them to a 10th 6A state championship, when he let them know he was retiring.
Hamilton's 10 state championships came in the last 23 years.
"I'll just take it easy for a while," Woods told The Arizona Republic. "I was kind of tired of being in charge. It's been a long run. It seemed to be time, time to let the next generation take over."
Woods has had several of his assistants with him for a long time. He said none are interested in taking over the program.
Woods said that Mike Spears and Frank Pezzorello, who have been part of his staff since the beginning, are retiring with him. Assistant coach Clay Bellinger was with the Huskies baseball staff for 20 years.
Hamilton High School opened in 1998 in Chandler. The first spring for baseball was '99. The Huskies won their first state title in 2003.
"The first senior class in 2002, we made it to the semis," Woods said. "That was our year and we didn't win it. We got beat by Tucson. I had hardly anybody back and we won it in '03."
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Woods has produced numerous college players, including UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky. Five former Hamilton players have made it to the major leagues, including current New York Yankees star Cody Bellinger.
Eric Farris played for the Milwaukee Brewers. Pitcher Patrick Murphy was with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Washington Nationals. Pitcher Jake Wong had his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds three years ago. Pitcher Dom Hamel made his MLB debut in 2025 with the New York Mets.
Hamilton has produced five Gatorade Arizona high school baseball Players of the Year.
This year's team started 0-3 but overcame the slow start, battling through one of the hardest schedules in the state.
"We were kind of forgotten," Woods said. "Nobody was paying attention to us. We put together a pretty solid year. We played a really tough schedule.
"It was different for us to be the afterthought to the conversation. They just kept plugging."
Hamilton overcame a 7-0 deficit in the state final and beat defending champion Tempe Corona del Sol 10-7 for the state title. It was the largest deficit Hamilton ever came back from in a state championship game.
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. He also covers Grand Canyon University athletics and the Arizona Rattlers. Please sign up for Azcentral Preps Now newsletter. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hamilton baseball coach Mike Woods retires
Continue reading...
