Billy Alm has been waiting for a chance to lead a high school baseball program since the start of his teaching career.

That opportunity has arrived as Alm has been named the new head baseball coach at Polk County High School. He will replace Ty Stott, who stepped down late last year after 21 seasons leading the program.

Polk County’s head softball coach last season, Alm will celebrate a homecoming of sorts in his new role – he served as an assistant coach under Stott from 2008-2013. The switch also returns Alm to the sport where he starred in high school and college and will reunite Alm with some of the players he guided as Polk County Middle School’s head baseball coach in 2014.

“It has always been my dream, since I finished college, to take over a baseball program,” Alm said. “After six or so years as an assistant coach at the varsity level and two years as the middle school head coach, that dream has come true. I’m definitely super excited about this.”

Replacing longtime head coach Jeff Wilson, Alm led Polk County’s softball program to a 14-9 record in 2016, the Wolverines reaching the second round of the state 2A playoffs after facing one of the most difficult regular-season schedules in the program’s history.

Polk County Schools has begun accepting applications for a new head softball coach to replace Alm, and the district plans to have a new coach named before the start of practice on Feb. 13

Since coming to Polk County, Alm has compiled an extensive coaching resume, serving as the head football coach at Polk County Middle for five seasons, the head boys basketball coach for four years and the head baseball coach for two seasons. In addition to his six seasons as an assistant baseball coach with Polk County’s varsity program, he is in his third season as an assistant varsity girls basketball coach for head coach and wife Brandy Alm. He will continue to teach physical education at Polk County Middle School.

“We are excited Billy Alm will be taking over as head coach of Wolverine baseball,” said Polk County Schools Superintendent Aaron Greene. “Coach Alm brings a wealth of experience, and he has a great deal of passion for baseball. Our athletes and program are fortunate to have him at the helm.”

Alm will look to assistant coach Josh Money, who worked with Stott the past three seasons, to help lead offseason workouts until the completion of basketball season.

“I think we won the conference four out of the six years I was there, and I would like to bring the program back to the point of competing for a conference championship every year,” Alm said. The Wolverines finished 6-17 in 2016. “I’d also like to build baseball back up in the community. The rec league has largely disappeared, and whether rec comes back or we do some clinics in the area with varsity players, I have some ideas to help with that.

“Coach Stott did this job for 21 years, and those are some big shoes to fill. He built the program up from nothing to where it is now.”

As a high school senior at Pine Plains (N.Y.) High, Alm earned all-state honors and was named the 1999 Poughkeepsie Journal Pitcher of the Year and the 2000 Poughkeepsie Journal Player of the Year. He hit over .440 as a sophomore and junior and over .500 as a senior.

Alm began his college baseball career at Schenectady County Community College, where he was named the team’s most valuable player for two seasons and was also one of 23 national junior college players selected to represent the U.S. in a series with China. Alm then transferred to Newberry College, where he was named team MVP his senior season.

Submitted by PolkSports.com