ROYAL CITY – After eight years as the head coach of the Knights baseball team, Brandon Jenks is stepping away from his role. Balancing work, family and coaching eventually created too many obstacles, and he felt it was time to step away.

“My job makes me travel a little more, so in order to make it back for practice every day, it’s been really challenging to manage all those things, to make sure I fulfill all my responsibilities on the other side, and then give the kids everything I’ve got on the field as well,” Jenks said.

Jenks said it was important for him to be able to watch his two younger daughters play softball.

“I’ll be able to go watch my girls. I’m not coaching softball by any means. I’m not qualified to do that, but I will be supportive and be the dad that gets to go watch his kids. That’s pretty important to me,” he said.

In his final season, he coached the Knights to a 15-10 record and a state tournament appearance. Jenks said he saw the team take several productive steps toward becoming a state title contender. In his time at Royal, Jenks led a successful program each year.

According to Jenks, in year one, they had only lost one game before the state tournament. Over the course of the next eight seasons, the Knights made several district and state tournament appearances. He said he’ll never forget the two seasons disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Those kids didn’t get to even have two years of (baseball),” he said. “They had part of a year one and no baseball the second year. That was pretty rough on those kids, because they’d earned the opportunity to go do something.”

When Jenks first joined the Knights as the head coach, it was only supposed to be for one season, he said. Then one season turned into eight. What was most important to him during his tenure was the relationships that were established in the program.

“My theory for coaching is always if the kids like you and you’re in it for the right reasons, that will mean as much as anything else. I let them know that we’re in it for the right reasons. Meaning I might yell at you on a baseball field, but you know that I’m in it for you to learn and be better everywhere else,” he said.

He believed his coaching could not only make his players better on the field but also better people in their everyday lives.

“Hopefully, I left that part with the kids that want to go out and be successful, people that work hard, that are good husbands, good fathers, and part of communities all over wherever they end up,” Jenks said.

Looking forward, Jenks said the Knights will be in good hands with his brother, Tony Jenks, taking over as the new head coach of the baseball team. Jenks said they are similar in their coaching styles. He said Tony Jenks is a detail-oriented coach who is great at relating to the players.

“He cares more than anyone else around. He’s also not so proud that he won’t take advice from somebody else. He’ll be great about bringing different perspectives to give kids more angles of understanding how to be better baseball players,” Jenks said.

Even though he is stepping away, Jenks said Royal baseball will always be a part of him and he hopes to remain involved whenever time allows.

“I’ll still probably go to most of the baseball games, everything else. I’m kind of a junkie for that stuff, and I love it. Obviously, it’s going to be my nieces and nephews and all my friends’ kids out there as well. So that part will probably never change. I’ll be part of it forever,” he said.

    Jackson Larsen pitches for the Knights last season. Larsen was the leading pitcher for the team.
  

    Nolan Wright prepares to step up to bat. Wright was a key offensive piece for the Knights.