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Easley baseball coach Finley plans to retire

EASLEY — Easley High School baseball coach Roger Finley, one of the top baseball coaches in state history, has decided to hang up the cleats following this season.

Finley, who has spent 28 seasons as a head baseball coach, including the last 11 at Easley, was honored prior to the Green Wave’s regular-season-ending rivalry matchup with Pickens Monday evening.

Easley will head to T.L. Hanna Thursday to open the Class AAAA District I playoffs. The appearance marks the 28th consecutive playoff berth for Finley’s teams, each of his seasons as a head coach.

A former Palmetto High School coach for 17 seasons before his time at Easley, Finley has amassed a career record of 515-174 and is one of only nine South Carolina high school coaches to win more than 500 career games. Finley has the second highest winning percentage in South Carolina high school baseball history.

During his time at Palmetto, Finley won two AA State championships, three AA Upper State championships, five AA Upper State runner-up finishes, eight AA District championships and 11 AA conference championships.

At Easley, Finley has led the Green Wave to two AAAA Upper State runner-up finishes, three AAAA District championships and a Region I-AAAA conference championship.

Finley has won 11 conference coach of the year awards during his career, as well as garnering two different state coach of the year awards and being named head coach for both the North-South All-Star game and a S.C. vs. N.C. Select team.

A member of the Palmetto High hall of fame, Finley also spent 16 seasons as an assistant football coach at Palmetto and Easley.