BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Caleb Polk feels like he hit a grand slam or pitched a no-hitter.
The 2016 Bradford High School graduate is the new varsity baseball head coach for his alma mater.
“I got my dream job at 24,” Polk said, adding, “This is something I’ve wanted to do forever. Coming back home and being able to do it is an honor. I love it. I’m super blessed by the opportunity.”
Polk, the son of Randall and Mindy Polk, said he was 10 when he first began thinking that he’d like to go into coaching one day.
He also had the dream of having the position at BHS that impacts all athletics, but for now, he’s more than happy to focus on just Tornadoes baseball.
“I always wanted to be an athletic director and come back and help with the overall sports program, but baseball’s been my first love since I was 3 years old,” Polk said. “I can’t let go of it. If I can’t play it, I want to be the guy who can coach and help guys love it the way I did.”
When Polk looks back on his time as a student-athlete at BHS, what he remembers most is not simply playing a game he loves, but the camaraderie that came with being a part of a team.
“All four years of high school, I had the best teammates,” Polk said. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to grow up with and play baseball with.”
The baseball team’s Class of 2016 consisted of eight players, including Polk. That group helped the Tornadoes finish as district runners-up in 2014 and 2016. BHS lost the district championship games those two seasons by a combined three runs.
Polk left BHS with a career pitching record of 16-5. As a sophomore, he went 4-2 with an ERA of 2.15, recording 29 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. Polk went 5-2 with an ERA of 4.31 as a junior. His 47 strikeouts in 37.1 innings led the team.
As a senior, Polk led the team in wins, going 7-1. His ERA of 1.93, innings pitched (61.2) and strikeouts (73) were all team highs.
Polk was also one of the team’s better batters. He was third on the team with a .308 average his junior season, leading the team in doubles (5) and RBI (17). During his senior season, his .354 average was second on the team. He again hit the most doubles (9), while he was third in RBI (14).
After high school, Polk had the chance to continue playing at Florida State College at Jacksonville.
“I was super grateful for (the opportunity),” said Polk, who transferred to Santa Fe College after two years at FSCJ. “Unfortunately, it ended sooner than I would’ve liked, but injuries happen and stuff like that. I’m blessed with what I was able to do.”
Because of his experience, Polk said he can help prepare players who get opportunities to play in college also. He said it’s harder to balance academics and athletics at the next level, but it’s rewarding when you do so.
“It’s going to take a lot of hard work and dedication,” Polk said, “but when you put the time in, and it all comes to fruition, then you know you’ve given everything you could have given.”
Becoming a coach
Polk has been coaching travel ball for six years. He spent the last two with the Gainesville Naturals organization, where he coached alongside Jiwan James, who’s the new Union County High School head coach. Polk also played for James during his time as a player.
“I’ve known him for a long time,” Polk said, adding, “We’ve got two games (against Union) on the schedule. It’s going to be a dogfight. I’m excited about it. He’s taught me everything he knows. I feel like I’ve taught him some stuff, too, but we may not have given each other every secret that we know and have up our sleeves.”
James is just one of several coaches Polk learned something from as a player. As his father once told him, you can learn something from everybody, whether it’s good or bad.
“My entire playing career, I’ve kind of taken the meat and spit out the bones when it comes to different coaches,” Polk said. “I tried to take what was good and spit out the bad.”
Polk said by doing that, he hopes he’s put himself into position to being the most successful coach he can be.
So, what kind of coach is Polk?
“Very, very intense and high energy,” he said. “I coach with love and passion.”
Win or lose, play with your best effort
As coach of the Tornadoes, one thing Polk wants to do is change the pace of play, which includes being aggressive on the base paths.
“Last year, the team had eight steal attempts,” he said. “Granted, they didn’t have a lot of base runners, but attempted to steal only eight bases as a team. There’s no reason why, as a team, we shouldn’t have 30, 40 stolen bases. There are enough kids out there who can run.”
Polk wants his team to put pressure on opponents — pressure that may lead to mistakes that Bradford can take advantage of.
“We might not win a lot of games, but we’re going to make other teams beat us instead of us getting beat by ourselves,” Polk said.
Sometimes, the game is simply not going to go your way in terms of the final score. Polk knows that, but he also knows if his team comes up short, it’s easier to live with a loss if his players perform to the best of their abilities and give it their all.
“We’re going to give 110 percent, and we’re never going to take a pitch off,” Polk said. “At the end of the seventh inning, whether we win or lose, we need to be able to be satisfied with the effort we put in. We’re not going to be the best team on the field every night, but we’re putting in the effort to be the best team on the field, we’re going to come away with some Ws, and our losses are going to feel like wins.”
Besides giving all-out effort, players can expect to work in practices in areas they’re struggling with until they start experiencing consistent success in those areas.
“We’re not going to leave until we’ve done something successfully,” Polk said, adding, “We won’t leave practice without some small Ws.”
Community program
Players, of course, will be representing Bradford High School, but Polk wants them to understand they’re representing so much more and that they’ll be expected to act accordingly.
“They’re going to be held to a higher standard than they’ve ever been held to,” Polk said. “It’s something I’m going to be very adamant about — professionalism and representing not only the school, but their families, the community and everything else.”
Since players represent the community, Polk wants the community to support the program, but he said it won’t be just him asking for that support. He wants his players to take on that role — to get out into the community and get to know the people.
“You’re going to be able to put faces to names and numbers and know who’s the starting shortstop and know who’s pitching on Thursday night or Friday night,” Polk said. “The community’s going to be involved way more than it has in the past.”
Polk is looking forward to his players benefitting from getting to know who their supporters are.
“It’s way more important than they’ll ever realize,” he said. “Being able to walk down the street and have Cindy Futch come running out and give you a hug because she knows you’re on the baseball team — that’s going to make these boys feel important and feel like they’re part of something bigger than just being on the baseball team.”
Last year, the program hosted a Little League Night, which allowed young players to meet the BHS players and be on the field to watch them warm up before a game. It’s something Polk wants to continue. He remembers how he felt as a youth.
“When I was 5 or 6 years old, I went to a handful of high school games,” he said. “To me, it was bigger than watching a professional game. They were guys you could look up to. Guys who go to church with you, or who you see in Winn-Dixie. They were guys you felt like you knew personally, and they were role models for you.
“I want (today’s) kids to have that same feeling. I want them to have somebody to look up to and something to strive to be. Ultimately, the goal is to strive to be a Tornado.”
Excitement
Polk was interviewed for this story in July, but he was already thinking about the season to come.
“The butterflies are already brewing,” he said. “I’m as nervous as I can be, but I’m super, super excited to get out there on the field with the guys. I’m beyond excited. I can’t even put it into the words, the way that I feel.”
Polk said the Tornadoes will have a good season regardless of how the win-loss column stands. He said other things go into defining a winning program. For example, if his seniors all graduate with at least a B average, that’s a win. If he doesn’t have to discipline players, that’s a win.
Don’t misunderstand Polk, though. He wants to increase the number in the win column. He admitted it has been tough to watch the program struggle. The Tornadoes haven’t had a winning season since he graduated, going a combined 25-91-1 in six seasons (including the partial 2020 season that was halted due to Covid).
“Being as prideful as I am in this community, it was painful to watch the baseball program do what it’s been doing,” Polk said.
Polk wants to bring a winning culture back to BHS baseball. More importantly, he believes he’s the person who can do just that.
“I feel like I’m the best guy for the job,” Polk said. “I hope I don’t let the community down.”
