Three decades are enough for Jim Waller.
Waller, head coach of the Oak Harbor High School baseball team, said Tuesday this will be his final season. He has coached the Wildcats for 30 years.
“I still enjoy coaching,” said Waller, 55, who grew up in Oak Harbor and still lives there. “It just got to the point where I’m not as young and enthusiastic as I used to be. We really need somebody to step in and take (the program) to another level.”
Through Monday’s games, Oak Harbor was in sixth place in the Western Conference North Division with a record of 4-7 (6-9 overall).
Since childhood, Waller has had a passion for Oak Harbor athletics. His dad, Mert Waller, coached numerous sports at the school and served as athletic director.
Originally, Jim Waller planned to resign last year, when he retired from teaching. But former Oak Harbor athletic director Bob Smithson convinced Waller to stay one more season, Waller said.
One of Waller’s favorite coaching experiences came in 1990. He guided an unheralded Oak Harbor squad to the state-championship game. The Wildcats lost 1-0 against Fort Vancouver at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma.
It was an unexpected playoff run for a young Oak Harbor team that during the regular season placed second in its league, Waller said.
“It was nice to see the kids do it. We just kept winning,” Waller said. “Everything kind of fell into place.”
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