Five days after his tenure at Cedar Ridge High School ended after one season, the names just roll off of Mitchell Frazier’s tongue.
There’s Phillip Berger, who became the first pitcher in school history to win 20 career games last spring. Jackson Strowd, who scored the game-winning run in a 3-2 win at Chapel Hill on March 19. And also Cooper Lamb, who scored twice in Cedar Ridge’s 10-0 win over Oxford Preparatory.
That will always be Frazier’s first win as a varsity head coach, a profession that’s in his blood and runs through his family.
It’s also why he’s leaving Hillsborough.
Frazier formally resigned as Cedar Ridge baseball coach last Thursday. He will become the new coach at Eastern Randolph.
For the second straight August, Cedar Ridge Athletic Director Andy Simmons will be searching for a new baseball coach. In 2018, Jamie Athas left to become the head baseball coach at Burlington Williams.
Midway through Cedar Ridge’s 8-12 season, Frazier learned that he would become a father. Frazier, who accepted the job at Cedar Ridge at the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year, made daily drives (one hour each way) from Davidson County while his wife continue to teach and coach women’s basketball at North Davidson High School.
Now, Frazier’s drive will be cut in half, unless he gets behind the occasional tractor-trailer.
“It was a family decision,” said Frazier from his home on Tuesday night. “The driving was never an issue. I just felt that it would be best to get on a schedule that’s similar to what my wife is on. That way, I can support her in the way that she needs support. It was a very difficult decision.”
Frazier arrived at Cedar Ridge after serving as an assistant at Southwest Guilford. An assistant principal at Cedar Ridge, Kevin Bowman, went to Guilford College with Jeff Joyce, who also coached at SGHS.
“The community at Cedar Ridge was close knit with its baseball,” Frazier said. “It was a pleasure to be around. They gave me my first opportunity to be a head coach and I’ll forever be grateful for that. You’re around a lot of great people at Cedar Ridge. That’s the whole school, not just baseball.”
During an up-and-down season, Frazier’s most memorable moment came in his final game. On Berger’s senior night, he threw a complete game to beat Northern Durham 4-3 for his 22nd, and final, career victory.
“Holy cow,” Frazier says when recalling that memory. “That’s a night I’ll never forget, for sure. Everybody on that team really rallied around those seniors. It was a really special night all the way around. It was a well-played game.”
Like many people of his generation raised in the south, Frazier is a diehard Atlanta Braves fan. After learning that his wife will give birth to a son in January, there’s already a pool open at Eastern Randolph as to which former Atlanta player Frazier will name his son after (Maddux is the current betting line favorite).
But coaching will always be part of the Frazier family. Even though his wife is due in November, she’s still planning to coach basketball starting in November. Her husband will get adjusted to his 2nd varsity team in Ramseur.
“At the end of the day, family comes first,” Frazier said. “This was one of those family decisions that we needed to make. I’ll definitely remember the community support I had at Cedar Ridge.”