Former World Series champ to coach at alma mater

When a team goes 1-20, it has to be tough to muster hope for the next season. What can possibly help turn a program around in a single year? Well, hiring a former World Series champion might help.

That's what the Lower Richland (Hopkins, S.C.) High School athletic director is hoping. He just hired two-time Gold Glove award winner Pokey Reese to take over the struggling program.

Reese is best known for his years patrolling the infield in Boston, Cincinatti, and Pittsburgh's major league stadiums. He reached the pinnacle of the sport in 2004, winning a World Series ring with the Red Sox.

Long before reaching that high, he was a star shortstop at Lower Richland.

The State, a newspaper in Columbia, S.C., reports that Reese considered taking the job last year. After seeing just how dismal the season went this year, he decided it was time.

“I love this school,” Reese told the paper. “I love this community.”

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Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact her at delliot@yahoo-inc.com or find her on Twitter and Facebook.