KENLY — The players went along. They tried to strengthen a rich tradition. They wore the school uniform with pride. The relationship between the head coach and the parents rarely faltered.

But after 10 years as head coach and over 150 wins, Chris Batten felt it was time to step down from the head softball coaching position at North Johnston High and, in effect, end his coaching career at the NCHSAA 2-A school in softball. North Johnston was his only high school coaching stop.

“I was never home,” Batten, 51, explained of his reason for leaving. “My mom was getting older; he (Batten’s father) was getting older. So were (his wife’s parents). I wanted to be able to take care of them. It was just the right time. I was the same in basketball.”

Batten spent 15 years involved in basketball until passing the baton to fellow North Johnston alumnus Matt Cuddington in 2020.

Batten admits that basketball was his favorite sport, but his appreciation for softball soared when he became an assistant coach to George Daniels, the most successful coach in the program’s history. Batten served as Daniels’ assistant for four years before accepting the daunting task of succeeding Daniels in 2015.

“I never planned on coaching softball,” Batten said. “I was a basketball player. When I started helping Coach Daniels, I enjoyed it and had fun. I just wanted to see Coach Daniels win a state championship.”

Daniels is now retired and has never had any success, but his teams did play for the state title in 2005, 2009 and 2012.

Basketball was Batten’s sport as a student at North Johnston High. He didn’t pursue a college education until he ran a Subway store for 15 years.

Batten began his college education at Johnston Community College. Next stop was Wilson Community College, then he pursued online studies at East Carolina University, and at age 37, he earned his degree online from Western Governors Teaching College. Batten is married to the former Krista Perry and they are the parents of two daughters, Kaylynn and Blayke. Kaylynn served as her father’s assistant and left the position at the same time her father decided to retire.

Batten said he never thought much about leaving coaching. But the struggle to gather enough players to field a team in 2022 caused thoughts of not coaching to cross his mind. He was more convinced after the 2024 season.

The veteran coach said he once asked one of his daughters if she could remember a time when he wasn’t coaching at North Johnston.

“The kids don’t remember me not coaching,” admitted Batten, who taught history. “It was the right time (to leave).”

Batten added that his coaching caused his wife to take on too many household responsibilities.

Regarding his intentions after the coaching period, Batten replied, “I’m going to keep playing softball and let my wife put me to work.”

He has been involved in showcase softball for 12 years.

The Johnston County Board of Education recently announced that Batten will be succeeded by former North Johnston player Olivia Gachuz, who was a standout on Batten’s teams. She graduated from North Johnston in 2019 and continued her softball career at the University of Mount Olive.

Gachuz was introduced as coach at North Johnston Middle School last season. All but three players from the 2024 team are eligible to return.

Batten’s teams have qualified for regionals all 10 seasons and won seven 2-A conference championships. His Lady Panthers reached the NCHSAA 2-A final four in 2018, and Batten notes, “Last year (2023) we were one out or one run away from playing for the state championship.”

He leaves with a 153-55 record, and his teams have a strong 77-12 record in conference play. The 2024 team, the 2-A Neuse 6 Conference queen, finished 12-7 overall and 9-1 in the conference.

Not only have his daughters left their mark on the Panthers’ championships, but Kaylynn also played on three regional teams for Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, and Blayke on two for UNC-Greensboro.

Fourteen of Batten’s players continued their careers at the collegiate level. Seven, including Batten’s two daughters, competed in the NCAA Division I ranks.

A state championship eluded Daniels and Batten.

“I’m proud of what we accomplished,” Batten reflected. “When I became head coach, I enjoyed it and had fun. We had a lot of success and won a lot of softball games.

“I had a group of kids that bought it. We always had a team on the field that played. The kids bought North Johnston softball. It had a culture — North Johnston softball meant something and was passed down year after year. The girls took it seriously; they were proud of it and they were proud to wear the jersey.”

The players didn’t seem to mind that Batten always tried to avoid team photos and pictures of celebrating players.

“I hope we left the program in the same good shape that Coach Daniels left us in,” Batten continued. “I value tradition a lot. I hope we continued the traditions that Coach Daniels set and built some of our own along the way. We left (the program) in a good place.”