MOULTRIE — If it has been strange looking the Colquitt County High dugout this season and not seeing former head coach Jerry Croft wearing his familiar No. 44, it has been equally disconcerting not finding his longtime assistant Keith Croft flashing signs to the catcher.

Keith Croft, the longtime pitching coach and former Colquitt County girls softball coach, also stepped down after last season when his boss retired after 30 seasons.

Working on his master’s degree and spending time with his wife Kim and 5-year-old son Kacey have kept him from missing being part of the Packers baseball team this spring.

And Croft said recently that he hasn’t got baseball totally out of his system.

“I would welcome the opportunity to coach baseball again,” Croft said. “I’ve got a strong faith in God. He’s got a plan. I’m anticipating its unveiling.”

Croft said he applied for the head coaching job after Jerry Croft retired. But after Eric McCranie was named head coach last June, Croft stepped down.

It ended a long association between Croft and Colquitt County athletics.

An outstanding pitcher and third baseman for the Packers in mid-1980s, Croft earned his degree and returned to his hometown, where he became Jerry Croft’s assistant and also took over the school’s slow-pitch softball program.

In his 10 seasons as head coach, the Lady Packers won twice as many games as they lost (a 176-88 record) and reached the state’s Final Four three times, finishing third twice and fourth once.

His final Colquitt County girls team went 28-6 and finished third in the state in 2000.

That also was the school’s last year to play slow-pitch softball.

Croft eased the program into the fast-pitch era, leading the team to a 10-15 record in 2001 and a 6-15 record in 2002 before stepping down.

It took until 2006 before the fast-pitch program posted its first winning record.

Croft said he enjoyed his years running the girls softball team.

“It was down a little bit when we started and it took us a while before we could compete with Tifton,” he said.

“But there was a lot of joy working with those girls. They worked hard and we did the same things with them as we did with the boys. I have a lot of fond memories from the softball fields.”

His most success came while with the Colquitt County baseball team. He was on the staff in both 1997 and 2003 when the Packers won the championship in the state’s highest classification.

“I was just part of the process,” he says of his role in the only two state baseball championships in Packer history.

“We had a lot of good players who worked hard for us. There have been a lot of guys who have coached a lot longer than I have who have never had the opportunity to even play for a state championship. It takes a lot of good players, a lot of hard work and a lot of luck.”

Croft said one of the things he most misses is the relationships he built over the years with his players.

He has been to the new Ike Aultman Field at Packer Park on several occasions this season to watch some of the players he coached perform for the 2007 Packers.

And he has taken a special interest in the man who succeeded him as pitching coach.

Josh Purvis, in his first year on the staff, is a former Colquitt County High pitcher.

“We had a close relationship when he was here as a player,” Croft said. “He was one of those special ones.

“He has a big heart for the kids. He’ll do a good job.”

Croft recently completed his master’s degree in administration and is considering working toward a six-year degree.

And he is teaching health at C.A. Gray Middle School, where he has found an appreciative administration.

“They have welcomed me with open arms and treated me like family,” he said.

Much like the way he treated the hundreds of young athletes he came in contact with over the 15 years he was in the baseball and softball dugouts wearing the interlocking C’s on his cap.

“I’ve been blessed,” he said. “I enjoyed every minutes of working with those guys and girls.

“I always said they taught me more than I taught them.”