Scott Mullen resigns as Beaufort High baseball coach

Scott Mullen has resigned as Beaufort High School's baseball coach.

The two-time Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet All-Area Baseball Coach of the Year said he turned in his letter of resignation to Eagles athletics director Jerry Linn on Wednesday.

"Coach (Jerry) Linn has been wonderful," said Mullen, who was not a full-time school district employee. "I'm going to miss my players and my coaching staff. But the bottom line is I've got four kids and a full-time job. Work is getting real busy. It's tough to carry that workload. It's hard to be dedicated to three things -- coaching baseball, being a father and a husband and carrying a full-time job. The decision is totally work- and family-related."

Mullen, a Beaufort High graduate, was hired in the summer of 2011 to replace Brook Dixon, who had coached the Eagles for seven seasons.

In two seasons as Beaufort High's head coach, Mullen, 38, led the Eagles to an 18-9 record in 2012 and a 16-11 record and a Class 4-A District 6 championship in 2013.

"I hate to see him go," Linn said in a voice mail. "He's done quite a bit in the short time he's been here."

Mullen may have only spent a short time at Beaufort High, but he has been around baseball for quite awhile.

A former coach of the American Legion Beaufort Ospreys, Mullen spent parts of four seasons from 2000 to 2003 in the major leagues as a pitcher for the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers. His professional baseball career lasted from 1996 to 2006.

"This has been a hard decision for me, especially with the success of the team and my relationship with the players and Jerry Linn," Mullen said. "But I've got to provide for my family. I'm not 25 years old anymore."

But Mullen doesn't close the door on returning to baseball when his kids are older.

"I think there's a very good possibility of me coming back to coaching," Mullen said. "But I've got a 6-year-old-boy, and I can tell you, it will be once he's older and grown.

"When I'm 50 years old, maybe I'll sit back and think about it. Right now, I just want to be a dad."

This story was originally published July 11, 2013 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Scott Mullen resigns as Beaufort High baseball coach."