Tanner Moore steps down, Megan Crawford promoted at Heritage
After four seasons, over 100 victories, four region championships and back-to-back-toback Class AAAA state fastpitch championships, Tanner Moore stepped down as the head softball coach at Heritage High School last Monday.
Moore is leaving the education profession to pursue other career opportunities, according to a press release from the school. He will also be resigning as a math teacher at Heritage, effective Dec. 18.
“We are extremely grateful for Coach Moore’s commitment and effort in leading our softball program,” said Eric Schexnaildre, Heritage’s athletic director. “He and his staff developed strong relationships with our young ladies, which helped them grow as individuals and led to their success on the field.”
“First off, this is the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” Moore explained. “But at this time, with me having a newborn daughter, it changes the priorities in your life. I’m really good with numbers and I’ve been presented an opportunity in financial services and the opportunity is just too good to pass up.
“(The new job) will provide flexibility, both financially and time (wise), for me and, unfortunately, (those things) are tough in education and coaching. This decision is solely made with my family and my daughter in mind, but it was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.”
Moore came back to Heritage after two seasons as an assistant softball coach at Lee University after previously serving at Heritage as an assistant baseball and softball coach. He took over the program from Jason Carter in June of 2017.
His first team went 22-10, winning a Region 6-AAAA championship and a first-round playoff series with Cedartown before falling to Madison County in the second round.
It would be the last time the Generals would lose a postseason series with Moore at the helm.
The last three seasons have seen the Generals go 25-6 (2018) and 29-6 (2019) and set a program-record for wins (33-7) this past fall. Heritage won three more region titles and earned the first three state fastpitch titles in program history, highlighted by a dramatic triple play to clinch the crown on the Generals’ own home field in 2019.
Moore said others deserve the credit for success of the program, which has eight players earn first or second team All-state awards in the past four years and several others named as All-region selections.
“It’s all in who we’ve had in our program,” he stated. “It’s our players and our assistant (coaches) and it’s just the support we have from our community. You can look at one person’s overall record, but it’s not me at all. It’s what these girls have accomplished, the embodiment of their hard work and the foundation they have layed down.
“Our coaches also deserve way more credit than they’ll ever get as assistants. They’ve done an amazing job for me and they’ll continue to do an amazing job for the program.”
The release went on to say that the school is promoting assistant coach Megan Crawford as the new head coach of the Generals. Crawford, a standout at Ringgold High and a member of the 2012 Chattanooga State national championship team as a player, is a teacher at Heritage and just finished her fourth year as an assistant coach with the team.
“We are excited to have Coach Crawford leading our girls as our new head coach,” Schexnaildre added. “She has all the qualities you look for in a head coach and as a leader of
student-athletes. Megan is the ultimate professional and she is committed to the overall development of our softball players.”
Crawford said she is thankful for the opportunity given to her by Schexnaildre and Heritage principal Ronnie Bradford and was very grateful for the opportunity to coach
alongside and learn from Moore over the past four seasons.
She added that having been with the program for the last four years will be extremely beneficial to her in her new role.
“I feel lucky because I was with (this year’s) seniors the last four years and with the other up
perclassmen for the last two or three years,” she added. “I feel like I have a head start in the fact that I already know what they can do and what they will bring (to the program). We’ll take Christmas break off, but we’ll be excited to get back to work in weight room after Christmas.”