Former West Bladen and Bladenboro High baseball coach Joey Autry is returning to West Bladen this spring as the Lady Knights softball coach. Autry was the school’s first athletic director, and the head baseball coach when West Bladen was consolidated in 2001.
A 1990 graduate of Bladenboro High, Autry was a 3-sport athlete and a member of the 1990 Class 1-A State Championship basketball team at Bladenboro.
The Bladenboro native played football and baseball during the 1990-1991 school year at Methodist University then transferred to UNC-Pembroke in the fall of 1991. He played one year of baseball and began volunteering as an assistant coach at Bladenboro High.
Autry was an assistant coach under Coach Junior Nance on Bladenboro’s 1994 Class 1-A State Championship basketball team. He also graduated from UNC-Pembroke and received a masters degree in 1995.
In 1999, Autry coached Bladenboro High to the Class 1-A State Baseball Championship series where the Bulldogs finished as Runners-up to Maiden. In 2000, the Autry-coached Bulldogs captured the Class 1-A State Championship with a victory over Swain County in the championship series.
From 2005-2007, Autry was the Head Baseball Coach at Southeastern Community College. He also coached Bladen County to three Dixie Majors Baseball State Championships, and his 2007 team won the Dixie Majors World Series title.
The Bladenboro native served as head baseball and assistant football coach at Harrells Christian Academy in 2007-2008.
Autry was also an assistant women’s basketball coach at UNC-Pembroke last year and is currently still serving in that position.
Autry left full-time coaching to go into the ministry and was ordained in 2008 at Galeed Baptist Church, where he served as student pastor from 2008-2010.
He is currently serving as a church planter for Vertical Church at their Bladen location and is also working part-time as a Bible and physical education teacher at Harrells Christian.
About the West Bladen softball job, Autry said, “Incredible opportunity to work with a great group of young ladies and coaches. The foundation left by Coach (Pam) Stephens is solid.”
“Pitching will be one of the keys for us as both veterans have graduated and are now playing in college. You don’t simply replace that,” continued Autry. “Really excited to see how hard these ladies will work. Most play multiple sports so off-season work will be difficult this year.”
“I look forward to seeing how we handle a very difficult and demanding schedule,” Autry concluded. “Above all else, pray we honor Him in all we do as students, athletes, and coaches. We’ll be positive change agents for this community on and off the field.”
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