Clyde Metcalf steps down as Sarasota High baseball coach

On April 26, after his Sarasota High baseball team defeated Braden River High 9-5, coach Clyde Metcalf said he would step down from coaching when the fun stopped outweighing everything else. 

Evidently, that time has come.

Metcalf, 68, announced Wednesday afternoon in a note on the team's website that he would step down from the program. 

"This was a difficult decision for me to make," Metcalf said in the note. "The time commitment to workouts, practices and games has not allowed me uninterrupted time with my family and friends, which has become a greater priority for me.

"I will cherish my lifetime of memories and look forward to following Sarasota High baseball in the future. … Go Sailors!"

Metcalf thanked his players, his coaches and his players' parents for their support along the way, as well has his family, including his wife, Jan Metcalf. 

Metcalf has been the program's bench boss since 1982. He led the Sailors to six state championships (1987, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 2007) and two national championships (1989 and 1994), plus five other state championship game appearances. Metcalf was named the USA Today National Prep Coach of the Year in 1989 and the USA Today Coach of the Year in 1994. He was also named the American Baseball Coaches Association HS Division I Coach of the Year in 2015. Metcalf was inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2019. 

Under Metcalf, eight Sailors have been selected in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft and many others, including third-round selection Ian Desmond, have been drafted later and gone on to make an impact.