Carolina Forest baseball looking to win now (and later) under Worley

Every coach hopes his players perform with a passion and desperation that “winning now” becomes less of a saying, and more of a lifestyle.

Newly-minted Carolina Forest baseball coach Joey Worley plans to add a layer to that, however, a firm believer that one’s performance on the diamond is only a small portion of what life has in store.

“One of the things I’ve been sitting around, resonating in my head is the word ‘now,’” he said. “It’s one of the things we are going to have as far as our theme for baseball this year. And the word ‘now’ we’re going to split into an acronym meaning ‘Never Out Worked.’

“We’re never going to get out worked, and that includes in the classroom, that includes everything we do everyday, and that also includes on the baseball field.”

Meeting players, parents and fans for the first time during an event Tuesday evening, Worley quickly set the tone for what can be expected during his time as Carolina Forest baseball coach.

Worley was named the school’s new baseball coach in July, replacing longtime skipper Jack Jolly who left to take a similar position at Dorman High School. While difficult to come behind a living legend like Jolly, who turned the Panthers into a perennial powerhouse, the new head man arrives with a great amount of success on his resume as well.

In three seasons as head baseball coach at West Johnston (N.C.), his team’s went 46-27. The past two years, the Wildcats won the Greater Neuse Conference title, with Worley being named its top coach following the 2015 campaign.

“We received many applications, but Worley’s was the one that really shined, it was very impressive,” said Carolina Forest athletic director Tripp Satterwhite. “His accomplishments, what he does, and what you may not know about him is how passionate, how driven he is for the game of baseball.”

Worley will teach world history this fall, switching gears to psychology in the school term’s second semester. For Carolina Forest Gaye Driggers, finding a great teacher — more than an awesome baseball coach — was most important.

“We wanted a teacher first, and a coach second,” she said. “If he’s a great teacher, he’ll be a great coach as well. We think we have both in (Worley).”

The excitement was not relegated to the Carolina Forest administration, though. A number of Carolina Forest baseball players were also in attendance for Tuesday’s meet and greet, letting Worley know how eager they are to get started with him at the helm.

“A lot of us players, we looked at (Jolly) as a mentor, someone we respected and looked up to,” said sophomore infielder Chase Hughes. “To have someone like (Worley) come in and want to continue with what was built, it is what we were hoping for in a coach.”

This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 8:55 PM with the headline "Carolina Forest baseball looking to win now (and later) under Worley."