Darton College
Scot Hemmings
Head Baseball Coach
Scot Hemmings begins his first season as Darton College’s head baseball coach after a 3-year stint at Central High School in Phenix City, AL. Hemmings is a 2002 graduate of Troy State University with a degree in Business Administration and a 2005 graduate of Troy State University with a Masters in Business Administration. A native of Columbus, Georgia, Hemmings will hope to take Darton College to the top ranks of GCAA play.
Hemmings is a graduate of Columbus High School, where he played for three Georgia State High School Championship baseball teams under legendary coach Bobby Howard. Hemmings enjoyed a fruitful athletic career at Columbus High, where he was named to the First Team All Bi-City Team in both football and baseball and First Team All-State during his senior campaign. Upon his graduation in 1995, Hemmings was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 61st round, but chose to attend college instead, and signed a baseball scholarship to Middle Georgia College. Coach Hemmings transferred to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College after the fall of 1995. While at ABAC, Hemmings broke the school record for stolen bases as a freshman, and as a sophomore earned First Team All-Conference honors, while leading his team to a third place finish in the GJCAA in 1997.
Upon completion of a stellar career at ABAC, Coach Hemmings earned a baseball scholarship to Columbus State University. However, the San Diego Padres drafted Hemmings in the 18th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball June draft, and he elected to sign with the Padres. Hemmings played three seasons in the Padres organization, making it as high as AAA – Las Vegas. He became highly regarded in the front office as he brought speed, power, and a strong arm to the table, and was on a focused track to the big leagues. Unfortunately, Hemmings’ career became injury riddled, with injuries to his knee, shoulder, and hamstring, which forced Hemmings to retire after a short spring training stint with the Detroit Tigers in 2000.
After finishing his playing days, Hemmings joined the staff at Alabama junior college powerhouse, Chattahoochee Valley Community College. In 2003 he helped guide the Pirate program to a school record 41 wins and a 2nd place finish in the AJCAA conference tournament. Hemmings spent two seasons under Coach Adam Thomas before he moved his career to Andrew College in Cuthbert, GA. Hemmings’ team set a school record for wins in 2006 (34) and was named Georgia Dugout Club Coach of the Year. After a 3rd place finish in 2006 and 2007, Hemmings was again named Diamond Sports Regional Coach of the Year. Coach Hemmings decided after the 2008 season to move back to Columbus area as he accepted the head coaching position at Central High School on May 30, 2008.
Hemmings is an intense competitor and brings a strong passion for the game to the field every day. He brings a wealth of talent and knowledge to Darton, especially on the offensive end. Hemmings looks forward to making Darton College a true contender in junior college baseball in the upcoming seasons.
Born May 6, 1977, Coach Hemmings was married to the former Amy Thomas on January 3, 2004. The Hemmings have two daughters Addie Loette (2) and Allison Caroline (1) and a baby boy due in September.
Justin Huff
Assistant Baseball/Recruiting Coordinator
Photo: Justin Huff
Justin Huff enters his second season as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at his alma mater. On the field, he will instruct infielders, assist hitters, and coach first base. In 2011, the Cavalier infield had one representative on the GCAA Gold Glove team.
Before coming back to Darton College, Huff had begun a career in business. During that time, he also served as the junior varsity head coach at Deerfield-Windsor School and as an assistant for a local American Legion squad.
As a player at Darton College for the 2004-05 seasons, Huff was a 2005 All-GJCAA shortstop for Coach Glenn Eames. He was voted team captain for the Cavalier squad that won the most games in school history. He set three records at the college including single season total at-bats, base-on-balls, and hit-by-pitch. After graduating from Darton, he spent his junior year as a role player at Division I power Coastal Carolina under Gary Gilmore. For his senior season, he transferred to Valdosta State and received Academic All-Gulf South Conference honors as the Blazer shortstop in 2007. He also had a brief professional career in 2007 playing in the South Coast League. Huff was a middle infielder for Phil Plantier’s Macon Music team that won the second half league championship.
The Albany native and Westover High School graduate earned his Associate of Business Administration degree from Darton College and his Bachelor of Business Administration from Valdosta State University. In 2010, He completed his Master of Business Administration degree from Kennesaw State University.
Boone Webster
Assistant Baseball/Pitching Coach
Boone Webster begins his first year at Darton College as the pitching coach for the Cavaliers. Webster comes to Darton after one year as the pitching coach at East Georgia College in Swainsboro, GA. In their first year in the GCAA, East Georgia finished sixth in the conference and earned a berth in the conference tournament where they went 1-2. Before beginning his collegiate coaching career, Webster spent two years as an assistant coach at his alma mater Centennial High School in Roswell, GA.
As a player at Centennial, Webster set three single season school records including ERA (1.15), strikeouts (116), and innings pitched (85) as he finished 8-4 as a senior. He was selected to the All Area team and Braves 400 Club. After high school, Webster pitched at Young Harris College. In 2005, he helped lead the Mountain Lions to a 52-11 record with the regular season and tournament championship. As a sophomore, the team finished with 49 wins and the regular season championship. He continued his collegiate career at Mercer University. In his first game as a Bear, he picked up a win against #2 nationally ranked Miami in three scoreless innings of relief. As a senior, he was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team.
The Tifton, GA native graduated from Mercer University in 2008 with his Bachelor of Art degree in Communications and a minor in Business Administration.
C.J. Hillard
Student Assistant Baseball Coach
C.J. Hillard enters his first season as a collegiate baseball coach serving as a student-assistant coach. He will assist with outfielders, run game-day/practice operations, and serve as the baseball grounds crew leader.
The Albany native returned home to play for the Cavaliers in 2011 after spending his freshman year playing baseball for Asbury College in Wilmore, KY. As a utility player with the Cavs, he led the 2011 squad in batting average. He is a Westover High School graduate and is currently working on his special education degree.
