The Wilson Post
LEBANON WEATHER

Joe Decker will take over MJHS baseball




Prep & college coach from Indiana –

Veteran high school and collegiate head coach Joe Decker will replace Mark Purvis as head baseball coach at Mt. Juliet High.

The hiring was announced earlier this week on Mt. Juliet High baseball’s Twitter feed and was confirmed Tuesday morning by MJHS athletic director Mike Duncan.

Decker compiled a 349-181 (.658 winning percentage) in two different stints over 18 seasons at Silver Creek High in Sellersburg, Ind. His 2018 squad reached the Class AAA Indiana state finals and finished the season 27-4.

In between those stints (2003-2006), he was the head coach at Indiana University Southeast — leading the Grenadiers twice to the NAIA Regional Tournament.

A math teacher, Decker and his wife Stephanie are the parents of sons Nolan, Dominic and Reece.

He is a graduate of Hanover College and earned a Master’s degree in Education from Indiana Wesleyan University.

2019 TRYOUTS — Tryouts for Mt. Juliet High football players will be held June 11 and 12 between the hours of 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Tryouts for all other athletes will be held July 29, 30 and 31 between the hours of 6-8 p.m.

MARK PURVIS — Coach Decker takes over for Mark Purvis, who retired after 18 years as head coach, piling up a record of 516 wins and 194 losses — a winning percentage of .726.

Purvis coached his Mt. Juliet teams to eight TSSAA sectional games. The Golden Bears won the District 9-AAA championship nine times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 20012, 2013, 2016 & 2018).

During the Purvis era at Mt. Juliet over 100 of his players went on on to play college baseball, including nine going to the SEC — eight to Vanderbilt University and one to the University of Tennessee.

Out of those players, six have gone on to play professional baseball, with three making to the Major Leagues. 

This story was first reported June 6 at www.wilsonpost.com.

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