South Fayette baseball coach makes clutch catch

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, May 9, 2021 | 11:01 AM

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In his days as a baseball player and now as the head coach at South Fayette, Ken Morgan delivered plenty of big hits, clutch plays and some winning lineups.

However, nothing compares to the delivery Morgan made April 20.

Morgan helped deliver his third child and first daughter into the world that morning.

“I got all dressed up in scrubs, got sterilized and helped pull our baby out as my wife pushed her to me,” Morgan said. “It sounds crazy, but it was an incredible experience.”

So what prompted him to go from being a spectator for the birth of his two sons to actually being part of the process?

“My wife and I have been blessed to have the same doctor with the first two births of our sons KJ (5 years old) and Carter (3),” Morgan said. “Our doctor, who we’re close with, delivered KJ normally. Then with Carter, she asked my wife Gen if she would like to deliver Carter herself. She coached my wife when to push, etc., and then my wife reached down and pulled out Carter herself. My wife does very well with labor, so she was able to do that.

“When we got pregnant the third time, it came up that it was my turn to get in position and deliver the baby.”

A successful delivery as little Rosie Stella Morgan was handled as deftly as a 6-4-3 double play.

So how much training was involved to go from Coach Morgan to Dr. Morgan?

“I actually didn’t have any training beforehand,” Morgan said. “About five minutes before the baby was delivered, I was getting the game plan from the doc. It was all good though. She was right next to me, making sure I didn’t screw anything up.”

Some coaches get nervous before a big game. Was Morgan calm, cool and collected before the special delivery?

“I was ridiculously nervous,” Morgan said. “Way more nervous than I was with my sons. I fumbled one time in my high school football career. It was a playoff game against Shady Side Academy in 2007. The play was strong 36 base. That’s all I could think about in the days leading up to the delivery. If that one fumble nearly 15 years ago still upsets me, I couldn’t imagine what I would feel like if I fumbled my baby. I wasn’t having it. I made sure I had my hands on our baby the whole time.”

While Morgan was nervous, his wife Gen had the utmost confidence her husband would not be charged with an error in the delivery room.

“I just asked my wife now, because we really haven’t talked about it,” Morgan said. “She said she wasn’t nervous at all and that it was the most special way to bring our daughter into the world.”

The birth of his first daughter has been a blessing for Ken and Gen after a rough 2020.

“I’ve tried so hard in my life to plan things, be organized and try and control situations,” he said. “I’ve come to find out it’s all on God’s time, and it’s perfect. We tried really hard for a third baby for our family. We shared a ton of emotions when Rosie was born, mostly because we knew it was God’s time to add a baby girl to our family.”

The newest addition to Lions Nation will be getting her first test of high school playoff baseball a month into her life. The big three of South Fayette, West Allegheny and Shaler in Section 3-5A are legitimate contenders for the district crown.

“I love our team and our boys,” Morgan said. “They are really having fun and playing a good brand of baseball. I am excited for where we are right now as a team with the understanding we have more to develop and grow further. We have battled and have had some adversity strike through the season, whether it was covid issues or injuries, but have rallied really well and have overcome. I’m really excited for the playoffs to start up.”

Tags: South Fayette