Nearly two decades of experience, deep Sampson County roots, and a faith-driven approach now converge at Harrells Christian Academy with the appointment of Josh Rackley as the Crusaders’ new head baseball coach.
Harrells athletic director Clayton Hall believes the hire checks every box for the program’s future.
“Josh is a great guy,” Hall noted. “He has a knack for developing strong relationships with his players. I look forward to watching him build a successful program at HCA.”
For Rackley, the announcement marks both a return to a role he knows well and the beginning of a new chapter that feels familiar and personal.
“It’s a little overwhelming,” Rackley shared. “Very excited to get started. I’ve been a prior head baseball coach at Union for five years, then I stepped down and became an athletic director. I was at Union 10 years. So I’ve done it before. I look forward to getting back into it and getting started.”
Baseball has long been central to Rackley’s journey. A product of Sampson County, he played at Union High School and has spent most of his professional life coaching and teaching in schools across the county. No matter the uniform, he explained, his identity as a Sampson County coach has never changed.
“No matter where I’m at, I’m always going to be a Sampson County coach,” Rackley emphasized. “There’s been a lot of talent that’s come from this area, and it’s my turn to shepherd it. There have been a ton of coaches before me who’ve done it, and I’m just excited for the opportunity.”
That opportunity has already come with momentum. Rackley and his players have been working together since November, shortly after football season ended.
“We’ve been working three days a week in the weight room and on the field,” he explained. “The guys are getting antsy, and so am I. We’re ready for Feb. 2.”
Rackley’s transition to Harrells has also been a natural one beyond the diamond. As a longtime educator, he now teaches and coaches students he sees daily, many of whom are already part of his church and community life.
“It just feels like home,” he reflected. “Some of them live right here in Clinton. A lot of kids know each other. You see familiar faces every day, but when you get on the diamond or the football field or basketball court, things change a little bit.”
Faith plays a defining role in how Rackley approaches both coaching and life. When asked about influences who shaped him, he pointed first to one of his high school coaches and then closer to home.
“Coach Don Carter was one of the best coaches I had,” Rackley recalled. “He was a pastor and had a very calm demeanor. He never got mad at us. He just loved on us.”
Even more formative, Rackley added, has been the example set by his father.
“My dad coached me in Parks and Rec and summer league,” he said. “Every day of my life I’ve seen my dad open his Bible and be in it. He’s been very grounded in his faith. Now that I’m a husband and a father, a man’s supposed to be the spiritual leader in the house, and I try to set that example here too, for my players and my students.”
Balancing family and coaching can be demanding, but Rackley described it as a challenge he embraces, made easier by a family that shares his passion.
“It’s a good challenge,” he explained. “You’re there for the tough times for those kids. Having that faith helps you shepherd those guys and show them the right way. It also helps having a wife who’s a coach’s wife 100 percent. On Tuesday nights or Friday nights, there’s nowhere else my family would rather be than where I’m at. They’re a sports family, and my wife’s all in.”
As the season approaches, Rackley is clear about what Crusaders fans can expect from his program.
“They can expect a respectful team, a hard-working team,” he outlined. “A team that wants to be out there and represent the Harrells community and Harrells Christian Academy the way it should be represented.”
Wins, he believes, will take care of themselves if the process is right.
“If you do things the way the Lord intends, a lot of other stuff takes care of itself,” Rackley added. “Winning’s fun. Losing’s not. I like to have fun, but what do you have to do to win? You’ve got to work hard. There will be days we get after it, and there will be days I put my arm around them and tell them I love them. They know why I’m doing what I’m doing.”
With experience, faith, and a relationship-first mindset, Josh Rackley now leads Harrells Christian Academy baseball into its next chapter, one rooted as much in character as in competition.