CULLMAN, Ala. – Since taking the reins of the program in 2009, Cullman Baseball Head Coach Brent Patterson has put together quite the resume. He’s led the Bearcats to a pair of state championships in 2015 and 2019 along with state runner up finishes in 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2017. He’s helped develop dozens of former Bearcats into college and professional players and in December he was formally inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Now he has another major milestone to add to his list of accomplishments.
Cullman’s 1-0 area win at Jasper Tuesday night was the 500th career victory for Patterson and he admits that when he was first named head coach 16 years ago, he didn’t have win totals on his mind. The Bearcats were coming off back-to-back state titles and Patterson’s biggest concern was maintaining that level of success.
“When I first became the head coach I was just trying to survive and just didn’t want to be the guy that dropped the baton,” Patterson said. “I wanted to continue everything that Coach (Bryan) Bowen had done and advance the program. I just didn’t want to be the guy that dropped the ball. So, I never once thought about a number of wins or how long I was going to do it or anything like that. I just wanted to survive.”
Patterson has certainly held onto the baton since Bowen passed it to him, but the people he credits most for the program’s consistency over the years are the numerous assistant coaches he’s had helping him.
“One is the consistency of the coaching staff. Coach (Jonathan) Romine has been here since 2002. Coach (Shannon) Fondren was here for so long and then we’ve had Coach (Aaron) Avery, Coach (Daniel) Moore and Peyton Colvard who all played here and are now coaching here. People like Coach (Bill) Griffin that are Cullman and are baseball and there are those pieces all throughout the coaching staff,” Patterson said. “It’s a lot of guys that are super competitive and love the game of baseball but even more so they want to do things the right way and influence kids the right way and impact lives. And of course, we have so many guys like Kalen Elam, Brandon Lee, Drew Bryson, Matt White, Jordan Guthrie, Jeremy Peek, Patrick Britton. You can just keep going. There are so many guys that played here, coached here for a while and either went on to get jobs elsewhere or that went off and weren’t in education anymore. All those guys brought stability and brought pride in what Cullman baseball is. It means a lot to them; it’s not just a job. It’s part of who we are, and it means a lot to us.”
In addition to a long list of coaches, Patterson also believes the support from the community has played a major role in the program’s success.
“The other big thing is the community that just keep supporting us. Our school, our businesses, our parents and so many people that have invested in our program in many different ways. It might be working the concession stand, it might be putting up a sign or donating money or whatever, they believe in our program,” Patterson said. “Because of the way they were raised, we’ve had a lot of really good people that have come through our program that still love it and now they’ve got kids coming up and playing so they want to see it keep getting better and better too. That’s the way you build some tradition and a culture. I think those two things, the consistency in our coaching staff and the consistency of our community’s support.”
Patterson cares a great deal about helping his players get better on the field, but he cares even more about how he and their experience in the program can better prepare them for life after baseball.
“I hope that when they leave, they start seeing why we did things the way we did them and that the way we coached, and the game of baseball really can spill over into real life. So, if we do it the right way we have played a part in helping them prepare for the next chapters of their lives beyond high school baseball. And hopefully it’s not just college baseball, its college, its relationships and its everything. Knowing how to be a good teammate, how to be unselfish, knowing how to work hard, how to invest in something, taking pride in what means a lot to you. Hopefully when they leave here, they know that we really cared about them, even though they might’ve gotten yelled at or maybe they got ran some, we did it not only because we want to win baseball games. We want to have high standards for them and want them to realize what the potential for their life is,” Patterson said. “Most importantly I hope they know I tried to model a Christ-like life and not be fake and be as real as I can possibly be. I tell them when I make mistakes because they see me every day and they know if I’m not being real with them. I want to be an example of a man in their life that lives for Jesus and is far from perfect, but quick to repent, I hope. We always say that winning is a byproduct of doing all the little things right. You may have great talent, mediocre talent or bad talent but the way you compete on the field and do those little things is what gives you a chance to win. That’s kind of the way we’ve done it. There’s no magic formula; it’s just a lot of good people and guys that fight for each other.”
Former Cullman High School Head Baseball Coach Bryan Bowen on Patterson,
“He’s a great person who genuinely cares for his players and the baseball program. He’s selfless and puts the players first,” Bowen said. “He’s continued this program with the foundation of discipline and dedicated himself to having a relentless work ethic from players and staff. He’s an excellent teacher of the game in all phases. He’s always had a great vision and had the ability to relay his vision and get complete buy in. He does it the right way. I said when I left that he was the best coach to take this program forward and I can say now that he’s the best in the business.”
Former Cullman pitching coach Shannon Fondren on Patterson’s success,
I think its several factors, he is a teacher of the game, to watch him in practice is incredible. I loved watching him in definitive period with those infielders, he’s the best I’ve been around hands down. Of course, we always ran over the scheduled time because he wanted more reps. He pours into those players and it’s so much more than baseball,” Fondren said. “He isn’t afraid to share his faith, and I loved that. You are prepared for life after spending 4-5 years in the program. My boys both played for him and think the world of him and I personally wouldn’t want them to play for any other person than Coach Patterson. He surrounds himself with great people and the staff has been together so long that everyone is on the same page. He’s one of my best friends and I am blessed to have spent the last 13 years of my career with him. He made me want to be a better person and coach every day.
Former Cullman High School Football Coach Mark Britton on Patterson,
Brent Patterson is a great coach but an even better person,” Britton said. “He has had great positive influence on dozens of young men in our community including my two sons. He is a tremendous role model for young men.”
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