Strong Rock Christian School recently brought aboard an experienced coach, doting father, and husband, who has an incredibly inspiring story. Todd Raleigh, who previously coached at several institutions, including the University of Tennessee, has joined Strong Rock as its new Assistant Baseball Coach.

Throughout his entire life, Raleigh has been completely surrounded by the sport of baseball. As a child, Raleigh recalls accompanying his father to Little League games, where he coached his older brothers. Raleigh states that he “doesn’t know anything different;” baseball is an intrinsic part of who he is, and this passion runs in his blood.

The Raleigh family’s connection to baseball is quite well-known; recently, a movie was made in honor of their influential lives. “The Home of Raleigh” was released in November of 2024, and this film was created in order to show the world the story of the Raleigh family, especially John and Cal Raleigh. John Raleigh was an immensely impactful baseball player, setting records and winning state championships throughout his high school and college career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his amazing accomplishments, and the passion and talent John Raleigh carried in life continues to inspire people to this day.

Driven by his passion for the sport, along with the passion of his family members, Raleigh began to coach baseball. His first assistant coaching position was in 1992, at the University of Vermont, where Raleigh set a record for the school’s most wins in a season. After several more years of experience, in 2007 Raleigh took on the role of Head Baseball Coach at the University of Tennessee, where he remained until 2011. During his time in this position, Raleigh had a total of twelve players drafted into MLB, and “his teams finished third or better in their respective leagues twelve times.” In 2008, during Raleigh’s first full season as head coach, the team ranked as the fifth-highest number of home runs in the college’s history – they made 67 home runs in 58 games.

This experience, according to Raleigh, has provided him with a multitude of different perspectives. Being able to coach kids at both the high school and college levels allowed Raleigh to see the differences in the players’ experiences, and he could then adapt his coaching techniques to better suit each player. Throughout his extensive career, he has seen “over 100 players make it into professional baseball;” seeing players develop their talents with the assistance of his coaching makes a sense of accomplishment bloom.

Raleigh explained that his time coaching at previous institutions was quite dissimilar to what he has experienced so far at Strong Rock, but he loves being a part of this new family nonetheless. According to him, coaching at this level is different, but at the same time, it is still the same. The goal of coaching, for Raleigh, has always been “to make the students better players, better students, and better people.” This can be said for both college students and high school students; both types of players must focus on balancing different aspects of their lives, which helps them get ready for the future. By improving their strength on the field and stressing the importance of balancing sports with schoolwork, Raleigh intends to prepare these players for life throughout college and even beyond. When asked about his goals for this baseball season, Raleigh said he would love to win a state championship, but much more important than that, his main goal is to help these students grow and improve as people. He states, “You can work hard and be godly and still be a good baseball player;” focusing on their classes and living a godly-life ties together to create an amazing athlete.

At the end of the day, Todd Raleigh says that it is his family that makes every moment worth it. He is incredibly proud of his children’s accomplishments, and he expresses that the legacy he wants to leave is about his family and his kids. His oldest son is Cal, a major league baseball player who was one of the focuses in The Home of Raleigh. Cal Raleigh has achieved many things within his career thus far; in the first four years of his career, Cal broke the record for the most home runs from a catcher in MLB history. One of his daughters is in dental school, the other plays volleyball, and his youngest son is currently enrolled in Strong Rock, playing baseball and being coached by his dad. The people who know Raleigh personally are able to rely on his loyalty and dedication.

When I spoke to Todd Eubanks, the head baseball coach at Strong Rock, he spoke very highly about Raleigh and the experience he has had with the fellow coach so far. Eubanks and Raleigh have only been working together for a short time, but Eubanks explained that he has already seen great things from his assistant coach. During the off-season, Raleigh has been helping the players gain strength before the upcoming games. Eubanks states that he has witnessed a “significant improvement in the players’ arm strengths, and the players themselves are very excited about the improvements they have seen.” Their personalities also work together well; according to Eubanks, Raleigh has a great sense of humor, but at the same time, he knows when to focus and get things accomplished. By working together and learning from each other’s experiences in life and in coaching, Eubanks and Raleigh aim to make this season the greatest Strong Rock season yet.

By Savannah Schofield