Fontainebleau baseball has a new head coach, and the Bulldogs turned to a familiar foe to fill the position.
Rickey Noland, who spent the past five seasons at District 6-5A rival Mandeville, took the helm of the Bulldogs’ baseball team on May 27, according to Fontainebleau High principal Nathan Corley.
“We are very excited to welcome Coach Noland to the Fontainebleau family. I look forward to working with him to continue building not just our team but our entire baseball program,” Corley said.
Noland takes over for Johnny Wortmann, who stepped away to focus on his family after two seasons. Noland brings more than 14 years of coaching experience to Fontainebleau after compiling a 71-65 regular-season record in five seasons at Mandeville that included the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
“I’m appreciative and thankful to the administration for seeing what I can bring to the table,” Noland said. “I’m looking forward to continue building the program on the foundation Coach Wortmann laid over the last two years. I just want to keep the program going in a positive direction for years to come.”
This is the second head coaching position for the former LSU-Eunice and Delta State University player.
“The biggest thing for me is that I wanted to stay close to home,” Noland said. “I never had any plans to move or anything like that. I love where I live. I love the church that I belong to. My girls are happy where they’re at. It’s just a great fit for me and my family.”
Noland will have familiar faces on the bench as assistant coaches Logan Peterson and Will Breland will join his staff. The trio coached together at Mandeville. Peterson will serve as pitching coach, while Breland will work with infielders and hitters.
“When I was interviewing for the job, I made it clear that they were not just hiring me, but they were hiring my entire staff,” Noland said. “That goes back to the loyalty that we have between the three of us. Those guys have had other opportunities, but we all three agreed that we were going to stay together. We're all excited about the future at Fontainebleau.”