Brian Anderson, who guided the Whitehall-Yearling High School softball team to its first league championship since 2000 this spring, is preparing for his next challenge.
Anderson will replace Caitie Fackler as coach at Westerville North, pending school board approval.
Anderson, 55, coached Whitehall for six seasons and led the Rams to a share of the MSL-Ohio Division title this spring. The Rams and London both finished 7-1 in league play, with Anderson and London’s Kelly Nelson sharing league Coach of the Year honors.
“After what we accomplished at Whitehall, I thought maybe it was time to find one more challenge,” Anderson said. “Not only at Whitehall, but it’s a transition year because my travel team is finishing up at 18U and I’m going to be done with them. It was time to look for something, a new, big challenge to finish out my career over the next decade.
“I thought coaching in the OCC and Division I would be something I haven’t done before and it would be a big challenge.”
Whitehall finished 13-8 overall this spring and went 56-92 overall and 24-42 in MSL-Ohio play under Anderson.
Anderson credited former Whitehall athletics director Mike Ferguson and current athletics director Bill Hughett for their guidance and assistance. Ferguson died in 2015 after a long battle with cancer.
“The (Whitehall) girls have been fantastic,” Anderson said. “I have no regrets from taking that job. It was a wonderful experience for me. I got to meet a lot of great people and we accomplished some good things. I feel I left the program in better shape than when we took it over.”
Anderson also has coached at the club level for 20 years. This summer, he is coaching the Buckeye Heat 18U team.
“Even with all his experience, he’s still a student of the game. He wants to keep learning, so we knew he knew the game of softball,” North athletics director Wes Elifritz said. “Most importantly to us, he’s a man of high character. It’s the type of coach we want in what we’re trying to accomplish at North. We have a lot of nice talent coming back and he’s ready for that next challenge.”
Fackler coached the Warriors for two seasons, compiling an overall record of 28-25 and an 8-12 mark in the OCC-Buckeye. This spring, North finished 13-14 overall and 3-7 in the league to tie Olentangy Orange and Westerville South for fourth behind champion Olentangy (8-2).
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