Belle Vernon baseball coach out after 2 strong seasons

By: Jeremy Sellew
Thursday, June 19, 2025 | 11:01 AM

The spinning carousel of coaches continues to go round and round at Belle Vernon.

Leopards baseball coach Tony Watson was informed early this week that the school board will be opening his job.

Watson said he is frustrated and disappointed with the decision, especially with the Leopards coming off two of their best seasons in program history.

“I had my exit interview, which we do after every season, and I thought it went really well,” Watson said. “It was pretty standard. It was myself and (athletic director) Matt Humbert. There were some board members there as well. There were no indications there they were going to open the position up.

“I kind of feel bad for Matt. He must have drawn the short straw and had to be the one to call me and tell me they were doing it.”

Watson and the Leopards went 15-8 this past season, which included a berth in the WPIAL semifinals for the second time in program history. That came following a 2024 campaign that ended at 13-4 with the Leps earning the No. 1 seed in Class 4A.

“I’m at a loss. I wish I knew what I did wrong,” Watson said. He said superintendent Dr. Timothy Glasspool reached out to him Wednesday.

“At the end of the day, I still don’t have a reason. I got some vague explanation like parental complaints. There’s no way I can defend myself if I don’t know the actual reasoning behind it. (Glasspool) said he couldn’t answer for all nine board members.

“The general public knew before I was even able to talk to my family. That’s really upsetting,” he said. “I honestly thought they’d treat alumni a little better.

“I will say, though, that Matt Humbert has been nothing but gracious to me and has been a supporter of mine since I started here. Everything that happened, I can say with confidence that he didn’t initiate any of this.”

Watson has been the Leopards’ coach for six seasons. His first season, though, was canceled during the covid-19 pandemic. He finished 47-45, including 28-12 in the past two seasons. The Leopards had three playoff berths, a section title and the semifinal berth.

“I would have felt a little better if they had told me in the exit meeting,” he said. “I could have at least had an opportunity to defend myself. Instead, I left the meeting thinking I did a great job this year. I just don’t even know how to explain my feelings now. Anger, disappointment … I was blindsided when I got that call. It’s disheartening for me and my family.”

Watson’s son, AJ, is in the program, just completing his freshman season.

The Leopards were supposed to have their annual Little Leps Baseball Camp this week, which Watson had to cancel abruptly.

“There are ramifications. Things like the camp or the 10 players that called me in tears last night asking what happened and what they could do,” Watson said. “I’ve had a ton of coaches reaching out to me today. They couldn’t believe it either.”

Of course, Watson — who serves as a substitute in the district as well as an athletic event game manager — was told he’s welcomed to reapply for the position. He said he’s not sure where his head is at concerning that.

“I don’t know if I want to reapply or even coach again for a while,” he said. “I just need some time to talk about it with my family to see what route we’re going to take. All I know: I never saw it coming.”

Tags: Belle Vernon