By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

Steve Baker, known mainly for coaching generations of players on the softball diamond at Gaylesville and Spring Garden, has died at the age of 70.

Baker pioneered the Gaylesville softball program in 1981 during its slow-pitch days. He also coached softball for a time at Spring Garden, but the majority of his coaching and teaching career was at Gaylesville.

One of his former players and assistant coaches Sandi Wheeling Vaughn called Baker “a wonderful coach, mentor, and friend.”

Wheeling played eight years for Baker, including little league and basketball. She recalls Baker as a “genuine person who loved coaching.”

“Coaching was his passion,” Vaughn said. “He poured his heart into the sport of softball, and he always made a point to keep in touch with his former players just to see how life was going.”

Vaughn said one of her favorite memories playing for Baker was during her sophomore year.

“We won a game at the Section tournament, and he was running down the third base line with the winning run sliding into home,” she said.

“I’ll always be thankful for the years I was able to be coached by him, and to coach with him. He helped shape me into the person I am today.”

After initially retiring from coaching softball following the 2021 season, Baker unretired back in June of 2024 to help guide a then-young Gaylesville softball team alongside Bob Smith and current head coach Clay Joseph.

“He was a great coach and a good man,” Joseph said. “He loved Gaylesville and did a lot for the school and the community. I was fortunate enough to coach with him the year before last. He taught me a lot and will be missed.”

“There will never be another Coach Baker,” Vaughn said.

Baker also had another sports passion in golf. For years, he managed at the Cherokee County Country Club near Centre.

The following is an article WEIS Sports Director Shannon Fagan wrote following Baker’s 2021 retirement from softball, published on June 2, 2021.

Baker calls it a softball coaching career at Gaylesville

GAYLESVILLE – Steve Baker remembers the days the Gaylesville softball program played its home games on the Trojan football field. Many others were played on baseball diamonds.

“Not many schools had (softball) fields,” Baker recalls. “Of course the ball could take some funny bounces off the pitching mound.”

Baker has seen plenty of softballs bounce in different directions in three different terms as Gaylesville’s softball coach, but now he’s officially calling it a career.

Baker announced his retirement from coaching on Tuesday. The last six teams he coached made it to postseason play, including this year’s squad.

“I want to say that it’s been a long career filled with many memories,” said Baker, who pioneered the program in 1981 in its slow-pitch days and coached until 1985.

Baker also coached softball for a time at Spring Garden.

“In 1987, I was at Spring Garden and I think this was the first year there was playoffs for softball in Alabama. We had a good team. The Bright twins (Dana Austin and Jana McGinnis) were seniors, but as luck would have it, we didn’t get to compete in the first area tournament or whatever it was called back then because it fell on the day of the prom.

“A couple of years later, our team was made up of nine seventh graders. We took a beating for a couple of years but then we were good. All nine of those girls played for six years, and three of them ended up signing with Gadsden State.”

Baker’s second term at Gaylesville was in the late 1990s and coached several successful softball and volleyball teams.

“Sandi Wheeling was a good outfielder on those (softball) teams, and her senior season was the first year of fast pitch,” Baker said. “I fell in love with that sport. Of course, Sandi ended up teaching at Gaylesville and serving as my assistant coach.

“That first season, I had a pitcher named Jennifer Aldridge who was amazing. She taught herself how to pitch. She threw a fastball and a changeup, but she could hit her spots.”

Baker coached through 2005, leaving the program on a high note. In 2004, the Lady Trojans were area champs. They finished area runner-up in 2005.

But his love for the game never left.

“I retired after that season, but was coaxed out of retirement by Sandi and came back and helped her,” Baker said. “We finished as runner up in the area to Spring Garden and advanced to regional play. I once again left the game and came back to Gaylesville and coached the 2018 team. We finished as runner up to Skyline and once again went to regional play. The 2019 team was runner up to Spring Garden and we went to the regional again.”

Baker was anticipating another successful season in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic wiped it out.

“Last year, with four seniors on the team, we were all excited about our season especially after beating Fort Payne in an early season tournament,” Baker said.

When the all-clear was given for the 2021 season, Gaylesville made its return to the postseason. The Lady Trojans finished as area runner-up again to Cedar Bluff and secured a berth in the East Central Regional at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.

Baker takes little credit for the success his teams have had.

“I’ve been fortunate to have coached some really great players over the years,” he said. “Gaylesville has a really good team coming back next year and I look forward to seeing them advance even further. I’ve been blessed to have worked with so many outstanding coaches in all sports at both Gaylesville and Spring Garden. I’ve worked with fantastic principals and assistant principals at both schools also.”