Randy Huth, who managed Nolensville Little League to three consecutive Little League World Series appearances, will not return next season.
Huth told The Tennessean on Saturday that league president David Jones informed him of the news Friday.
In a GroupMe chat message Friday with the players and players' parents, Huth wrote that the reason he no longer would be the team's manager was "because multiple parents from the 2023 all star team called (Jones) and told him that I treated their kids unfairly, and they didn't feel like the team was as close as years in the past."
Huth and Stella Weaver helped Nolensville Little League make national headlines in 2023, when Weaver became the 22nd girl to play in the Little League World Series and Huth became the first person to manage a U.S. program to three consecutive Series. Weaver's four hits broke the U.S. record and tied the overall record for hits by a girl in a series. She also was the first girl to start a game pitching since Mo'ne Davis is 2014. Nolensville's All-Stars ended up finishing fourth in the United States.
In his GroupMe message, Huth wrote that he was "shocked and incredibly sad" about the news.
Nolensville Little League finished second in the U.S. in 2022, falling one game shy of playing for the championship. The team lost its only two games in the 2021 Series.
Huth had managed Nolensville Little League's All-Stars since 2017. He nearly quit coaching in 2019, almost a year after his father died, but decided to return, he said, after Jones talked him into it.
Below is the message Huth sent to the group chat Friday, in its entirety:
"David Jones, the league president, just informed me that I cannot coach this year because multiple parents from the 2023 all star team called him and told him that I treated their kids unfairly, and they didn’t feel like the team was as close as years in the past. Frankly, I am shocked and incredibly sad. If you are one of those parents, all I can do is apologize that you feel that way. There are very few things in this world that I truly love, and one of those is Little League Baseball. To have that taken away rips my heart out."
Most messages left by The Tennessean for several parents of players on the team, as well as for Jones and another Nolensville Little League board member, were not returned.
One parent responded via text that they "aren't interested in being part of your story."
Most parents of players on the team were contacted by the Nolensville Little League board and asked for their opinions and input about Huth, another parent told The Tennessean.
Weaver's parents, Matt and Rachel Weaver, were not contacted by the board, Matt said.
Some parents felt Huth had a big ego and went out of his way to put a lot attention on himself.
"I think that was a fair criticism from the other parents, of, 'Hey, it ain't about you, Coach. It's about the kids,' " Matt Weaver said. "Should that have gotten him fired from this position? I think that's a bit extreme.
"He was a little prickly sometimes. But in my mind you don't achieve that level of success without being a little prickly. I think feelings were hurt. Expectations were exceptionally high. It was championship game or bust. We didn't make it."
Huth recently was awarded the Nashville Old Timers Baseball Association's 2024 Mr. Baseball award.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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The Link LonkJanuary 28, 2024 at 01:44AM
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Randy Huth out as Nolensville coach after 3 straight Little League World Series appearances - Tennessean
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