Off to new Hite’s: Jeff Hite’s jump to becoming a college coach
CANTON, Ohio — Throughout his long and winning career, Jeff Hite has seen it all when it comes to softball and baseball. This softball season will mark the first time, however, the Hite gets to manage a college softball team. He brings 25 years of coaching experience to the table and he’s ready for the challenges in store.
As a baseball and softball coach at North Canton Hoover, Jeff Hite became a legend. In his time there, Hite was a seven-time Federal League Coach of the Year in softball and a two-time Federal League Coach of the year in baseball. It’s rare to find some so successful in multiple sports, dealing with a wide range of high school athletes.
Hite has also led his North Hoover teams to a total of nine Federal League championships, six sectional championships, and six district championships. While enjoying these successes in both softball and baseball, the highlight of his coaching career came in 1998 and 1999. During this period, Hite led the North Hoover Lady Vikings to back-to-back state championships in softball. All in all, Jeff Hite has amassed over 600 wins at various levels of competition throughout his coaching career.
Jeff Hite retired from North Hoover in 2018 but didn’t hang up the coaching cap. From 2019 to 2021, Hite coached a collegiate-level wooden bat league, which ignited his passion for working with college athletes. It was his first taste working with players of this age and caliber, and it ignited a new fire inside of him. In his time as coach of the Stark County Terriers, he led them to National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series Runner-Up finishes in both 2019 and 2021.
It was announced that Hite would continue his career at Malone University in September 2021. While at Malone, Hite will have the opportunity to focus solely on the softball team. He inherits a team that is coming off one of their best seasons in history at 24-11-1 while going 15-7 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. It marked just the second time since 2002 that the Malone Pioneers finished with a win percentage of over .500.
Jeff Hite has a big job in front of him, but he’s got the skills and experience to get the job done. He graduated in 1982 from Ashland University where he played baseball exceptionally well. He is a member of the Stark County Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame, Ashland University Athletic Hall of Fame, Tuscarawas County Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame and the North Canton Hoover High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Along with these accolades and accomplishments, Hite brings a positive attitude and enthusiasm for softball matched by only a few. 2022 will bring new challenges for Malone University softball, but with Jeff Hite at the helm, anything is possible.
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