Kevin Davidson: From Professional Baseball to Coach, Mentor and Friend
Kevin Davidson’s playing days are behind him, but now he passes his knowledge on to the next generation. He is an assistant coach for the varsity baseball team at Orangewood Christian School, which is coached by Scott Hilinski. The two swap roles after the high school season. Davidson has coached in the Florida Collegiate Summer League (FCSL) the past seven seasons, including the past five as a head coach.
He became the first coach in the history of the Altamonte Springs Boom, in 2015, after winning back-to-back league championships, with the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs.
According to the FCSL, Davidson has posted a 133-80-2 (.623) overall record, including a 25-14-1 (.638) …show more content…
He prepares high school and college athletes for life on and off the field. During the spring he worked with Lake Highland Prep and Orangewood Christian, even helping Orangewood reach the Florida state finals on multiple occasions.
“KD is a really fun guy with a great personality. He played pro ball and has a ton of connections. It was a great experience, I learned a lot, especially being a catcher. He is more like a brother, he identifies with his players. He is a pretty young guy still,” Boom and University of Creighton catcher Matt Gandy said. “He gets it. He is a player’s coach. He understands what it is like to play every day and the struggle that goes behind that. Other guys are too far removed or never played at that high level.”
Prior to becoming the manager of the Boom, Davidson spent two years as an assistant and four years as head coach in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. He assisted former major league championship winning coach, Davey Johnson, with the Sanford River Rats. His first Florida Collegiate Summer League head coaching job was with the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs, where he led them to three league championship games in four years. Davidson won the last two before leaving for Altamonte …show more content…
He still wants to win, but he is very approachable,” Gandy said. “I really would have – played for him for all three summers if I could – for many reasons, he has the full package. He is knowledgeable about the game, he is so well connected in and outside of baseball.”
Off the field he is known to mentor and give advice to his past and present players. When he is not spending time with his family or at work, he is always looking for another way to improve his team, league or baseball in general.
“The biggest fund raiser he does for the league is the golf tournament, and it raises a lot of money for the league. His contacts in the baseball community certainly help,” Hilinski said. “Anytime you have coaches who are competitive and puts together competitive teams make the league stronger and he plays a big role in that. He would tell you too he is not the only one responsible for the success of the league. He would not take a lot of credit for it, but he plays a pretty big role.”
Some opposing fans, players, coaches and even officials have not always agreed with his intensity on the diamond. However, his players, assistant coaches love competing with and for him, because they know he will always have their
Kevin Davidson’s playing days are behind him, but now he passes his knowledge on to the next generation. He is an assistant coach for the varsity baseball team at Orangewood Christian School, which is coached by Scott Hilinski. The two swap roles after the high school season. Davidson has coached in the Florida Collegiate Summer League (FCSL) the past seven seasons, including the past five as a head coach.
He became the first coach in the history of the Altamonte Springs Boom, in 2015, after winning back-to-back league championships, with the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs.
According to the FCSL, Davidson has posted a 133-80-2 (.623) overall record, including a 25-14-1 (.638) …show more content…
He prepares high school and college athletes for life on and off the field. During the spring he worked with Lake Highland Prep and Orangewood Christian, even helping Orangewood reach the Florida state finals on multiple occasions.
“KD is a really fun guy with a great personality. He played pro ball and has a ton of connections. It was a great experience, I learned a lot, especially being a catcher. He is more like a brother, he identifies with his players. He is a pretty young guy still,” Boom and University of Creighton catcher Matt Gandy said. “He gets it. He is a player’s coach. He understands what it is like to play every day and the struggle that goes behind that. Other guys are too far removed or never played at that high level.”
Prior to becoming the manager of the Boom, Davidson spent two years as an assistant and four years as head coach in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. He assisted former major league championship winning coach, Davey Johnson, with the Sanford River Rats. His first Florida Collegiate Summer League head coaching job was with the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs, where he led them to three league championship games in four years. Davidson won the last two before leaving for Altamonte …show more content…
He still wants to win, but he is very approachable,” Gandy said. “I really would have – played for him for all three summers if I could – for many reasons, he has the full package. He is knowledgeable about the game, he is so well connected in and outside of baseball.”
Off the field he is known to mentor and give advice to his past and present players. When he is not spending time with his family or at work, he is always looking for another way to improve his team, league or baseball in general.
“The biggest fund raiser he does for the league is the golf tournament, and it raises a lot of money for the league. His contacts in the baseball community certainly help,” Hilinski said. “Anytime you have coaches who are competitive and puts together competitive teams make the league stronger and he plays a big role in that. He would tell you too he is not the only one responsible for the success of the league. He would not take a lot of credit for it, but he plays a pretty big role.”
Some opposing fans, players, coaches and even officials have not always agreed with his intensity on the diamond. However, his players, assistant coaches love competing with and for him, because they know he will always have their