• Mark Garner
     

    The 2023 season will be Coach Garner's 16th year to coach high school baseball. It is his 13th year at Hillcrest, and his 11th year as Head coach of the baseball program. His teams have compiled a 280-117 record, 9 consecutive playoff appearances (2013-2022), 8 consecutive Area Championships (2014-2022), 8 consecutive Quarter-Finals appearances (2014-2022), 6 Semi-Final appearances (2014, 2016-2019, 2022), and a State Championship (2016).

    Coach Garner is a 1998 graduate of Daphne High School. He played for Central Alabama Community College in 1999. During the summer of 1999, he was a part of the USA Junior College Baseball Team. From 2000-2002, Coach Garner played for the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He spent the summer of 2001 playing with Athletes in Action in the Alaskan Baseball League.

    After graduating from UAB in 2003 with a Bachelors of Science in Industrial Distribution and a Bachelors of Science in Marketing, he went on to play professionally for the Rockford Riverhawks in the Frontier League. Coach Garner has previously coached football and baseball at McAdory High School from 2007-2010 before coming to Hillcrest. In 2013, he obtained his Master's degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sport Management from the University of Alabama. Coach Garner has been married to Beth Garner, 1999 graduate of Hillcrest, for the past 18 years and they have three sons, Wyatt (14), Will (11), and Walker (7).

    Justin Thompson

    This is Coach Thompson’s fifth season as a varsity coach with Hillcrest. Coach Thompson will serve as the Pitching/Outfield coach. Coach Thompson is a 2000 graduate of Pickens Academy, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He played baseball and basketball for Huntingdon College where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Human Performance & Kinesiology. He went on to receive his Master’s Degree in Physical Education from the University of West Alabama.  

    Coach Thompson was an assistant baseball coach at Northwest Shoals Community College where they set many team records for wins in a season, team batting avg., and most consecutive wins while there. He’s also served as the head baseball coach at both Pickens Academy and Bessemer Academy in the AISA. This will be Coach Thompson’s 19th year coaching. He is married to Stefanie Thompson a chemical engineer who works for Hunt Refining. They will have been married 17 years this April. They have three daughters Leah (13), Laurie (10), Lilly (6). 

     

    Trent Williams

    The 2023 season will be Coach Williams’ 8th year to coach high school baseball.  This is his 7th year at Hillcrest High School where he will be serving as the Varsity Assistant coach.  He previously was an assistant coach at Northridge High School when the school started in 2001. Coach Williams has also coached football at Central High School and Northridge. He also coaches OLBs for the Hillcrest High School football team.    

    Coach Williams is a 1999 graduate of Central High School where he played baseball and football.  He signed to play baseball with University of North Alabama in 2000.  He was redshirted his freshman year and transferred to Shelton State for the 2001-2002 season.  After Shelton State, he attended the University of Alabama from 2002-2004 where he graduated with a BS in Physical Education.  Coach Williams married Erika Williams in 2003 and they have 3 boys (Luke 18 Evan 16, Jude 3) and 1 girl (Audrey 15).  Coach Williams is currently the P.E. coach at Maxwell Elementary in Duncanville, Alabama.     

    Taylor Brown

    Coach Taylor Brown played baseball and graduated from Hillcrest High School in 2006. After high school, he attended Shelton State Community College from 2006-2008 where he played baseball and won 2 state championships. In 2008, the Bucs finished 2nd in the Nation at the JUCO World Series. In 2010, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education at The University of Alabama, and in 2011 completed his Master’s Degree at The University of West Alabama. After college, Coach Brown served as the JV coach at Hillcrest in 2014, and the Varsity Baseball Coach at Sipsey Valley High School from 2015-2018. He currently teaches PE at DMS. In his free time, he enjoys anything outdoors and spending time with his wife Staci, 3 year old son Barrett, and chocolate lab Wrigley.

    Brae Sullivan

    This will be Coach Sullivan’s fourth year with the Patriots. He is entering his 2nd year as the Head Coach of our Freshman team. He was raised in Millry, AL. Brae played football and baseball at Wayne Academy in Waynesboro, MS where he graduated in 2015. Brae graduated from The University of Alabama in 2020 with a BS in Secondary Education - Social Studies. 

     

    Brae played baseball at Mississippi College in Clinton, MS in 2015-2016 before transferring to The University of Alabama to focus on academics. 

     

    Coaching experience includes assistant football and baseball coach at Wayne Academy in 2017. Softball assistant at Northside High School in 2019. Junior Varsity baseball assistant in 2020 and 2021. Currently, Brae coaches inside linebackers for the Hillcrest High School football team, and heads the Freshman Baseball team at Hillcrest High School.

    Matthew Langston

    For the 2023 season, Coach Langston will be coaching his 3rd year with the Patriots and 5th year overall. Coach Langston has previously coached at Holy Spirit Catholic School as the Head JV Coach and Assistant Varsity Coach in 2020. He also coached Tight Ends with the Hillcrest Football team this year. Coach Langston is a graduate of the 2014 class at Northridge High School. He later attended Shelton State Community College for 2 years and graduated with an Associate Degree in Science. He continued for 2 ½ years at the University of Alabama and in 2019 graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Mathematics. Coach Langston is married to Margaret Langston and they have 2 children Madeline and Mack.