FAYETTEVILLE -- The Fayetteville baseball program didn't have to look far to find a successor for retiring head coach Vance Arnold.
Scott Gallagher, assistant coach with the Bulldogs for the past 12 seasons, has been named the new head coach at Fayetteville. Gallagher's appointment was approved by the Fayetteville School Board during the board's most recent meeting held Thursday.
"I'm very excited," Gallagher said. "I'm just going to try and build on success that coach Arnold has built here.
"I've seen it up close for 12 years now and I'll just try to fill those shoes. I know that can't be done, but I look forward to taking over the program and keeping up the foundation here that has already been put in place."
Arnold announced his retirement earlier this spring before wrapping up his 27th season as Fayetteville baseball coach. He restarted the Purple'Dogs' baseball program in 1988 after the school had gone 27 years without the sport from 1961 to 1987. In his career, Arnold compiled a 583-247 overall record, which included eight appearances in the state finals and six state championships to tie him with Billy Bock for the most state baseball titles won in a career at one school.
Gallagher, 32, graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2004 and earned his Master's Degree from the the U of A in 2005. He was on the staff for Fayetteville state championships in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2013 and a state runner-up finish in 2014. In the 2012 season, Gallagher was promoted to assistant head coach.
"Coach Gallagher has been with us for a number of years and he's taken on every leadership role that we've asked him to," Arnold said. "He's experienced what every head coach does without actually being a head coach, and I have complete confidence in him.
"He's a big part of this community, a big part of this school, he and his family. Everybody here has accepted him and I just think he's going to do great things."
Sports on 05/29/2015