Zac Bone is stepping down as manager of Post 253 after 10 years. His dad, Pat, guided Festus to five state championships (1996, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011) in 21 years as head coach, and Pat’s father and Zac’s grandfather, Ron, coached the team for 16 years prior to that.
After Post 253 lost to Ste. Genevieve Post 150 for the District 13 championship this month, Zac Bone announced he was resigning to focus on his upcoming marriage and his head coaching duties with the Jefferson College baseball team, which he took over this past school year.
Aaron Mayer, a long-time member of Post 253 as a player (he played for Pat Bone) and assistant coach under Zac, is the program’s new manager. Mayer is the pitching coach for the Vikings and previously held the same role for Post 253. This year Mayer has joined fellow Jeffco assistant coach Harry Markotay managing the Wilson (N.C.) Tobs in the Coastal Plains League, a summer league for collegiate players.
Longtime Festus assistant Drew Horrell also is leaving the team and will be replaced by Horrell’s father, Steve, and Scott Byrne. Other coaches could be added, Mayer said.
Zac said ending the long family connection to Post 253 wasn’t a snap decision.
“Drew and I had some conversations in the past year about what the future of the program looks like,” Zac said. “When Aaron decided to come back, we thought it would be realistic to walk away because we found the right fit.
“We’re excited that Aaron keeps it in the (Post 253) family. Kids have more summer options than they’ve ever had. Aaron will continue to produce the same tradition.”
Mayer understands what the county’s top summer baseball program means to area players looking to hone their skills before they move on to college. On Sunday morning, he was preparing the Tobs to play the Wilmington Sharks that night.
“The community atmosphere is behind it. In 253 we have a family-like atmosphere,” Mayer said. “We don’t take that lightly. Those are bonds you don’t find anywhere else. We do it to get guys to the next level, make them better humans and compete for championships.
“It’s an honor, the fact Zac approached me and asked me to do it. I was shocked. I played for Coach (Pat) Bone and learned a lot from him. I know Zac and Drew will always be there to help me.”
The CPL features players from all levels of the NCAA as well as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Mayer said he took the summer away from 253 to coach there as a resume builder.
“It was a tough choice,” Mayer said. “You don’t (often) get the opportunity to coach D-I athletes. Some players from the league were drafted into (major league baseball) this year.”
Coaching Post 253 brings the challenge of sustaining a program that is sewn into the fabric of summer baseball in the county. Festus made it to the Legion World Series just two years ago and has a perennial rivalry with Ste. Genevieve for the District 13 championship.
Tryouts for the 2022 senior squad already have taken place and if Colby Ott returns with the year of eligibility he has remaining, it would give Mayer the centerpiece for his first team as head coach. The versatile athlete, one of the best ever to come out of Jefferson High, pitches and plays shortstop. He has signed to play for Zac and Mayer at Jefferson College.
“I’m excited about our group,” Mayer said. “We’re fairly young, but we have some guys who can play.
“We’re not going to predict the future. We’ll bring our best effort every day.
“From a growth standpoint in the district, Ste. Gen does a great job. I love (Post 150 manager Junie Basler). He’s a great human being and baseball coach. (De Soto SMCI manager) Sean Wiley has built a team and the same can be said about (Rock Memorial Post 283 manager) Dan Sigman. I’m excited about it. It looks good going forward.”
Zac, who said his dad tried to talk him out of taking the Post 253 manager’s job 10 years ago, will continue to help with administration of the program. But now that he’s getting married and running a college team, he said he knew this was the right time to step away, adding that Drew Horrell wanted to spend more time coaching his sons.
“(Drew) was such a critical part of our success, it would have been difficult for me to do it without him,” Bone said.
In another spin of the local coaching and sports administration carousel, Don Jeffries has resigned as activities director at Grandview. The Eagles’ new AD is Terry Edwards, who took over as the Eagles boys basketball head coach last season. Edwards was the interim AD at Hillsboro in 2020 and held the same position at St. Clair from 1981 to 1995. Jeffries, formerly a coach at Windsor, was hired in 2018 to replace Ronda Hubbard.