By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Darin Vaughan has had a busy summer trying to lead his New Bern River Rats into playoff contention.
His summer just got a little busier. Vaughan, the head baseball coach at Washington High School, has just been named as the school’s new athletic director.
The Beaufort County Board of Education approved Vaughan’s hiring on Monday. He replaces David Daniels, who “did a tremendous job last year,” Vaughan said.
Washington kicked off its first football practice on Monday. Teams in boys soccer, boys and girls cross country, volleyball and girls tennis will start this Monday.
Vaughan is anxious to see all the Pam Pack teams in action, and is looking forward to working with his fellow coaches.
Vaughan, a physical education teacher at WHS, will begin his second stint as the Pam Pack baseball coach next spring.
Currently, he is coaching the River Rats, who compete in the Coastal Plain League, for the third straight season. Vaughan joined the River Rats in 2005 after being an assistant coach at Central Missouri State University. Prior to that, Vaughan had stints as the Director of Baseball Operations for Kansas State University, as well as serving as an associate scout for the Chicago White Sox.