Talley Haines is returning to the dugout at Mobile Christian.

The five-time state champion, who stepped down as the school’s head baseball coach in November of 2022, is returning to that role.

Head of school Clint Mitchell announced the news in a letter to baseball parents Monday. Haines replaces his buddy Jason Smith, who will return to being an assistant coach and also serve as Director of Operations at the school.

“It’s kind of going to go back to the way it was (before Haines left),” Smith said. “I have no ego. I don’t have to be a head coach. As long as we are having fun together and we are enjoying baseball, that’s all I care about.”

Smith’s primary reason for stepping back after leading Mobile Christian to the Class 5A championship series this season is to be able to spend more time watching his son, Seth, play baseball at Southern Mississippi.

“I just want to be able to go watch him play. That’s pretty much the bottom line,” he said. “Talley and I have talked about it quite a bit. I can still help him and still be a part of the baseball program. This gives me a little more freedom where I don’t feel guilty if I have to miss a practice here or there.”

Haines led the Leopards to five state titles in his first 11 years as the team’s head coach, including back-to-back 4A titles in 2021 and 2022.

He was AL.com’s Coastal Alabama Baseball Coach of the Year in 2022 when he led Mobile Christian to a 33-4 record and a repeat state title. Under his leadership, the Leopards won crowns in 2A, 3A and 4A as the AHSAA’s competitive balance system pushed them up multiple times. He also was the Coastal Coach of the Year in 2015.

When he stepped down in 2022, Haines told AL.com “it was just time to move on.”

Now, it’s time to come back.

“Coach Haines is no stranger to MCS,” Mitchell wrote in his email to parents. “Coach Haines was the primary architect of the rise of Mobile Christian baseball. There is no doubt that he is incredibly skilled as a program builder and teacher of the game. What appeals to me most is his primary desire to mold young men into great fathers, husbands and Christians. Coach Haines has been a major part of what makes MCS great in the past, and we are overjoyed to have him return home.

“We are sincerely thankful for both coach Jason and coach Haines and all that they have done and continue to do for the students at Mobile Christian School. We look forward to many more years of developing young people that are a part of our baseball program.”

The Leopards went 24-12 this season, Smith’s second as the head coach. They went 8-0 in the first four rounds of the playoffs before being swept by No. 1 Alexandria in the finals last week.

“Having been able to reflect a little over the last week, we had a really good run in the playoffs,” Smith said. “We played a really good Alexandria team. Their pitchers were seasoned. They’ve been pitching varsity games for four years, and they were successful for four years. Our guys really stepped forward when the playoffs started and played well. We executed the things we talked about all season, but they really bought in during the playoffs. It was fun. It was fun at practices during the week. I really enjoyed it.”

This post will be updated