When many people think of the Central Hardin baseball program, they think of the 2011 state championship. The team achieved the state title with the coaching expertise of Todd Thompson. Thompson coached Bruin baseball for 20 years and is a member of the Kentucky High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. 

Despite all the success, Thompson retired from his position just weeks before the 2023 season opened. 

“Baseball is a lot of work,” Thompson explained. “You have to mow the field and trim the field, you work on a lot of off days like Sundays preparing the field getting ready for the week.” 

Thompson’s son Lucas is a sophomore at Central Hardin and currently plays for the Bruin baseball team. He spoke on how it will affect his season, but also why he thinks his dad needs to take a step back. 

“Going to practice and not seeing him there at all will be the hardest,” Lucas said, “[But] I want him to have the chance to be a dad.” 

Thompson also spoke on how he just wanted to be a dad, and be able to just cheer on his son and his teammates. 

“After a lot of years doing it, and with my son being in the program,” Thompson said. “ “I want to kind of sit back and watch. I didn’t think I could give all the players 100 percent.” 

Although Thompson felt as though he couldn’t give as much to the program anymore, he plans to stay involved simply by “being their biggest fan.” 

Thinking back on why he became the head coach of the program, Thompson explained how baseball has always had a place in his life. 

“Baseball has always been a passion of mine, ” Thompson explained. “Growing up, I played in college and I decided to not play past that point, so the coaching position just kind of fell in place for me.” 

Thompson is very fond of his two decades coaching for Central, and he was able to recall some memories and highlights from this part of his career. 

“This past season was a really special one,” Thompson said. “I’ve known a lot of these kids since they were born, and I watched them grow up. So it was neat to get to see them make it to the state tournament.” 

When asked to describe Thompson in three words, junior Sander Lucas used “dependable, dedicated, and honest.” 

Thompson made sure that he kept a good balance between being a coach, and also keeping good relationships with his players, along with his players having good relationships with each other. 

“It’s good to see all of the relationships,” Thompson expressed. “When former players come back or reach out in some way, it’s really cool.” 

There is no doubt that the athletes that have played under Thompson’s coaching have learned from him in some way, but Thompson hopes that if they learn anything that it’s simply “respect.” Whether it’s respecting each other, their coaches, or themselves, Thompson prides himself on the respect of his players. 

“I hope they learned how to handle adversity, present, and represent themselves,” Thompson explained. “I’ve always been a big stickler on the hair cuts, the clean faces, things like that.” 

Thompson’s Hall of Fame coaching career may be coming to an end, but the lasting impact he has had on his players will live on at Central Hardin.