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Franklinton baseball coach Jeff Tageant is retiring after 37 years of teaching and 36 years as Franklinton’s head baseball coach. 

“I thought I would do it forever. I can’t explain why, but something just hit me and I knew it was time,” Tageant said.

Tageant said it took him a month to decide.

“I kept asking my wife (Toni Tageant) and talking about it and just realized it was time,” Jeff Tageant said.

Tageant said his time at Franklinton was a dream come true.

“Ever since junior high, I knew I wanted to teach and coach at Franklinton High School,” Tageant said.

Tageant talked about how he plans on spending his retirement.

“Spending it with my wife and my family, especially my granddaughter,” Tageant said.

Tageant is a health education and driver’s education teacher. 

On the diamond, Tageant has a career record of 561-314-2.

Tageant said his biggest accomplishment at Franklinton is the baseball field.

“I think building a new field, a state-of-the-art baseball field, with very little public funding,” Tageant said. “We had auctions and fundraisers and Toni wrote a grant through the Baseball Tomorrow Foundation, which is through MLB (Major League Baseball).”

Tageant thanked everybody who has played for him.

“There’s been a lot of players and parents who have touched my life. One of the special times in my career was getting to coach my sons Clay and Evan,” Tageant said.