? Savannah Christian coach Carl Carter wins 500th game

Posted 2/29/16

Savannah Christian coach Carl Carter won his 500th game, all at Savannah Christian, Monday night.

(Special Photo by Savannah Morning News)

?

By Tim Morse

Georgia Dugout Preview

SAVANNAH ? Even on a warm evening where temperatures hovered in the 70s, the water cooler dousing Savannah Christian coach Carl Carter received from his players still wasn?t welcomed.

Carter, the legendary coach of the Raiders, earned his 500^th coaching victory Monday night in a 9-3 victory over Metter.

?Yeah, they got me water,? Carter said. ?And it was cold.?

But Carter couldn?t stay too mad for long. It isn?t every day that a high school baseball coach stays around long enough to notch 500 victories, much less all of them coming at one school.

Behind a strong pitching performance from Zack Brockman, the Raiders used a three-run third inning to take the lead for good. Then they added four more in the fourth to take a commanding lead.

Mark Langston led Savannah Christian?s 10-hit attack, going 3 for 4. Ben Haeussler went 2 for 2 with a double and an RBI. Second-baseman Jacob Rhodes had a pair of RBIs, while Ben Jackson had an RBI triple as everyone wanted to share in the special night.

Carter tried to deflect the attention away from himself.

?We?re starting three freshmen and they played really well,? he said. ?And Zack Brockman pitched well and we hit the ball at the right time.?

Carter is the 25^th coach in the state to notch 500 coaching victories. His record at Savannah Christian is currently 500-198.

While Carter achieved the milestone at Savannah Christian, he says he could have as many as 545 victories. He coached baseball for two seasons at the old Pathway High School, then at Saint Andrews in Savannah before getting hired at Savannah Christian in 1983 to coach tennis. He didn?t start coaching baseball at the school until 1989.

?I?ve had a lot of good people behind me and a lot of good support,? Carter said.

The coach recently turned 60 and he said he isn?t sure when he?ll stop. He no longer coaches third-base but instead coaches from the dugout.

?I love throwing batting practice and I love hitting fungo,? he said. ?I guess I?ll keep going until they run me off.?