Austin Kearns during his MLB days in 2007. (Wikimedia Commons photo)

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West Jessamine High School has officially named former Major League Baseball outfielder Austin Kearns as its new head baseball coach.

Kearns, a Lexington native and 1998 Mr. Kentucky Baseball honoree, stepped into the interim coaching role late in the 2025 season and helped guide the Colts to the 12th Region championship game, where they were ultimately edged out by Boyle County.

Before taking the helm, Kearns had been serving as an assistant coach within the program. His promotion to full-time head coach comes at a time he says felt right for both his family and the team.

“When it came open, it seemed the right time as far as where we were at with the age of our kids and where they’re at as well,” Kearns told the Lexington Herald-Leader in a story published recently. “Like you’re always trying to balance the family and the coaching aspect.”

Kearns played 12 seasons in the majors between 2002 and 2013, suiting up for the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. A first-round draft pick in 1998 out of Lafayette High School, he compiled a career batting average of .253 with 121 home runs across 1,125 games.

His standout rookie season came in 2002 with the Reds, when he hit .315 with 13 home runs in 107 games and finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Kearns’ ties to West Jessamine run deep. His oldest son, Aubrey, graduated from the school in 2024 and recently completed a freshman season at Morehead State, where he started 38 games. Kearns also has a younger son currently in middle school in Jessamine County.

Reflecting on his playing career and what it brings to his coaching approach, Kearns emphasized resilience.

“Experience is usually the best teacher,” he said. “So whether I’m too old for them to understand (my career), just being through it and understanding that it’s not going to be perfect, nothing’s going to be easy. The sooner they understand that — you got to embrace it, adversity and challenges and meet those head on — the better off these kids will be.”