Coaching Staff

Granville Gehris – Head Baseball Coach
7th Season

Coach Gehris enters his 7th season at the helm of the Erwin Warriors baseball program. The team has made consistent strides to become more competitive after over a decade of losing. Last spring the Warriors finished third in the MAC conference and went to the second round of the state playoffs.  The Team finished with a 21st in state ranking.  The year before Erwin won the conference tournament championship, earning a bid to the State Playoffs, and hosted a home State Playoff game.

The Warriors are developing a reputation for playing the game the right way and being a fundamentally sound team. The 2012 group looks to build on the last two spring’s success and reclaim the rich tradition of the Erwin baseball teams of the 1980’s.

Coach Gehris played collegiately in the Metro Atlantic Conference (Rider University), for the second-ranked JUCO program in the nation (Gloucester CC), and finished in the Big South at the University of North Carolina at Asheville where he graduated in 2004 with a B.A. in history.

Gehris competed for the Stamford Robins in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, one of the nine sanctioned summer baseball leagues by the NCAA and MLB. Also, he played four seasons of semi-professional baseball in the Tri-County league for the Haddonfield Rough Riders as a RHP pitcher and outfielder.

Coach Gehris and his wife, the former Leslie Whitfield, reside in Leicester with their daughter and two sons.  

Bobby Parker – Assistant Coach
9th Season

Coach Parker joined the staff in 2007 to coach the Junior Varsity to a winning record after a hiatus from baseball to coach the girls’ Varsity basketball program. Coach Parker has made a huge impact through his work with the catchers and overall assistants with the program.

Coach Gehris explains Coach Parker’s impact, “Coach Parker’s leadership skills, experience as a highly successful head coach, and background as a former standout player at Erwin, will help make every player more polished and successful. We are fortunate to have such a high-character individual involved with the kids at Erwin”.

Coach Parker was the catcher and Captain of the 1988 Erwin baseball ream that competed for a state championship. Coach Parker graduated from UNC-Asheville with a B.S. degree. He teaches earth science at Erwin and resides in Haywood County with his wife Shannon, two daughters, and a son. 

Matt Carpenter – Assistant Coach
5th Season

Coach Carpenter will work again with the outfielders and aid our ruuning game in practice.  Matt has been a succesful junior varsity head coach and has been instrumental in our playoff runs.

Coach Gehris explains 'Carps' role as. “Coach Carpenter is detail-oriented, intelligent, and always looking to give us an edge. He has the knowledge to transform our running game into an attack-style offense. Plus, Coach Carpenter blew me away last spring when he busted out a 6.6 60 yard dash”.

Coach Carpenter is the Assistant Varsity boys’ basketball coach at Erwin and Drafting teacher. Matt is a 2000 graduate of Erwin.

Chris Collins – Head Junior Varsity Coach
2nd Season

Coach Collins will take over the Junior Varsity prom after leading the Erwin Junior Legion to a conference title this past summer. Coach Collins will work with first basemen and assist with outfielders and hitters.

“Coach Collins played at Mars Hill, has umpired collegiately, and has coached with several different age groups. He is a proven leader who will command the respect of our underclass kids while facilitating their development. Also, he brings an able left-handed arm for BP”, explains Coach Gehris.

Coach Collins is an Assistant football coach at Erwin and teaches Physical Education. Chris and his wife, Melanie, Principal of new 5th and 6th grade school, reside in the Erwin community.