Tigers 2-1 After Week One With Interim Coach

PRAIRIE GROVE — Prairie Grove interim baseball coach Jed Davis was hired April 16, 2018, and originally came to the district July 1, 2018, as an assistant principal for Prairie Grove High School.

Davis was moved to the middle school after the school board reassigned Allen Williams from school superintendent to assistant superintendent of finance. Among its personnel actions the board promoted Reba Holmes, former middle school principal to interim superintendent. In January, the board voted to remove interim from Holmes’ title designating her as superintendent for the 2019-20 school year. Prairie Grove school board approved a recommendation to change the responsibilities for administrators at Prairie Grove Middle School including Davis as part of the board’s consent agenda Feb. 19.

Now Davis has interim attached to his current resume in taking over the Tiger baseball program on the heels of an abrupt resignation by Chris Mileham days before the seasonopener, which Prairie Grove lost 10-0 to Mountain Home on Tuesday, Feb. 26.

The Bombers scored 6 runs in the bottom of the first inning, then added one run in the second and third innings and two in the fifth. The Bombers’ offense produced 9 hits and 7 RBIs led by senior Garrett Steelman (2-for-3, double, 2 RBIs) and senior Luke Kruse (2-for-4, double, 2 RBIs).

Prairie Grove beat West Fork 9-3 on Friday with junior Jadin Higgins earning the win. The Tigers played Greenland and defeated the Pirates 13-3 on Saturday behind senior Drew Cates’ 4.1 innings of work.

According to Enterprise-Leader archives, Davis’ resume lists a bachelor of arts in math from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; masters in the art of teaching, UA-Monticello; principal license and master’s in educational leadership from Harding University and superintendent’s certificate from Texas A&M in Texarkana.

Davis served as head football coach and dean of students for Marion High School from 2014-2018. His teams went 16-32 in four seasons. He led the Patriots to the Class 6A playoffs three times, including a quarterfinal appearance in 2015 which ended with a loss at Greenwood. Before arriving at Marion, Davis coached and taught math at Mayflower from 2007-13. He has also worked as assistant football/softball coach and math teacher at Dumas High School and assistant football coach and math teacher at Rogers High School. As a classroom teacher, Davis has taught AP calculus, geometry and Algebra II.

At Marion, Davis’ responsibilities included supervising and leading 17 coaches and 275 players on a daily basis, weekly teacher walkthrough evaluations, sponsorship of Fellowship of Christian Athletes huddle at the school which he started and hiring and evaluating coaches.