The obvious common link between Josh and Joe Lord is they are brothers. To be more precise, they are twins.
They share a love of sports and a love of coaching. It makes them a strong team. When it comes to fast-pitch softball and baseball at Banks County High School, they have become the faces of the sports and have helped build their respective programs into winners.
I remember three years ago meeting them for the first time. To be honest, I couldn’t tell them apart at the time and while I believe I can now, I still look twice to be sure I now which one I am talking to. (A quick look at a jersey number also helps).
Josh coaches the Lady Leopard softball team with brother Joe as his assistant. Joe is the Diamond Leopard head coach with Josh serving as his top assistant coach. Now, my brother and I get along well but we live an hour apart. Who knows what the relationship would be if we had to work this closely on a daily basis?
Watching the Lords in action is to see two young coaches who truly enjoy athletics and who enjoy teaching the fundamentals of their games to today’s student athletes. When sitting in the dugout at a BCHS softball or baseball contest, you can see them talking strategy and figuring out what the best approach for the situation at hand might be.
At a recent softball game, Josh, the head coach, remained in the dugout while the Lady Leopards were batting. Brother Joe stood at third base receiving the signals from his brother and then relaying them to the BCHS batters at the plate. They did it time and time again without missing a beat. The end result that day was another victory for the Lady Leopards. It was an impressive thing to watch unfold inning after inning.
It has also been impressive to see how much both programs have grown and improved under each coach’s guidance and leadership. The baseball team advanced to the state playoffs this past spring posting impressive numbers in several categories. This season’s softball team has already recorded a number of victories.
BCHS is fortunate to have varsity coaches like Josh and Joe Lord. They give countless hours to their players and their programs.
The work they put in during the summer months and offseason often goes unnoticed by those outside of the softball and baseball programs but the long-term dividends are being seen on the field.
Successful programs are not made overnight. Anyone who knows about coaching can tell you that. I’ve seen first hand what the Lords have done for BCHS athletics. They work well together and the fact they coach as a team only benefits their respective programs and the school’s athletic program as a whole.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of The Banks County News. E-mail comments about this column to chris@mainstreetnews.com.
