Mobile Christian head of school Clint Mitchell knew finding a replacement for five-time state champion Talley Haines as head baseball coach wouldn’t be easy.

“A program with a prominent history deserves a leader who knows how to run a top-tier program,” Mitchell wrote in an email to the Mobile Christian family Tuesday afternoon.

Mission accomplished.

The Leopards have hired former Fairhope coach Stu Fuller to take over for Haines, who announced his resignation earlier this spring to be closer to family in Missouri.

“We are super pumped,” Mitchell said. “When you are trying to find a replacement for someone like Talley, you know you have to work hard. Coach Fuller’s resume speaks for itself. He has competed at the highest level. He has put kids into the next level of baseball.

“When we had the opportunity to sit down and talk with him, his plan and vision for Mobile Christian’s baseball program was aligned with our goals. The choice was really a no-brainer. Coach Stu Fuller is overwhelmingly a great fit for what we are trying to accomplish moving forward.”

RELATED: State semifinal pairings

Fuller spent more than two decades at Fairhope before stepping down in June of 2022. He accepted a job as an assistant coach for Brett Boutwell at Saraland for two seasons before taking this year off to watch his son play college baseball.

“This is a tremendous fit for me,” Fuller told AL.com. “When the opportunity came up, I felt immediately drawn to it. I think the feeling was mutual. I felt like it was time to get back on the field as the head guy, and I’m excited about the challenge. I have missed it.”

Fuller officially will start June 1. Jason Smith, Haines’ longtime assistant, will continue in the same role for Fuller.

“That is a match made in heaven with his expertise and what he does well and what I do well,” Fuller said.

Fuller took over the Fairhope program in 2000. He led the team to 565 wins, 19 playoff trips, 12 area championships, 3 semifinal appearances and one championship series appearance.

He remains Baldwin County’s all-time leader in wins. In 34 seasons overall as a head coach, he has a record of 816-402 – a .670 winning percentage. He was inducted into the ALABCA Hall of Fame in 2001.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity,” he said. “The guys I’m following have left some huge shoes to fill not only from a baseball standpoint but just in general. I have a tremendous relationship with all those guys and hope I can measure up.”

Fuller won 17 games in one season at Baldwin County and 234 games and a state title in nine years at Faith Academy before taking the Fairhope job.

With Haines at the helm, Mobile Christian won 2A state championships in 2015 and 2016, a 3A title in 2018 and back-to-back 4A titles in 2021 and 2022 as they moved up due to competitive balance.

The team finished 11-19 in Class 5A this season.