Coaching Staff

Skip Hudgins, Head Coach has been coaching baseball at Western Albemarle High School since 1983. During this time period, his teams have amassed a number of accomplishments including a record of 539 wins, 317 losses (a 63% win ratio) and five ties through the 2025 season.

Made the Virginia State playoffs in 1995, 1996, and 2018 seasons.
17 times a winner of the district. Regular season champs in 1984, 1987, 1989, 1996, 1997, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 and 2023. District Tournament champs in 1987, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009.
Conference 29 Tournament champs 2014 (inaugural year)
20 game win streak in 1996
Region II champions in 1997 and runner up in 1985 and 1996.
Advanced to the Regional Playoffs 17 times including 2021-2025.

During that time period he has also received a number of awards and recognitions including

Central Virginia Coach of the Year in 1986, 1989, 1995, 1996, and 1997.
Region II Coach of the Year in 1997 and in 2007.
District Coach of the Year in 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2021, and 2022.
Conference 29 Coach of the year in 2014 .
Recognized for his 500th win on March 30, 2023.
As of 2023 he is #1 among active coaches in career wins and #4 among all coaches in the state of Virginia.

Finally, his players have been recognized in a number of ways including

Central Virginia player of the year in 1983, 1989, 1995, 1996, and 1997.
63 players have gone on to play college baseball.
Four players have gone on to play professional baseball.

Coach Hudgins grew up in Radford, Virginia where he lettered in high school in baseball, basketball, and track. He graduated from Milligan College (BS in Health, Physical Education and Psychology) in Tennessee. He was inducted into the Milligan College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. In September 2025 he was inducted into the Radford High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Coach Hudgins also coached girls basketball at Western Albemarle for 13 seasons. His overall record stands at 193 wins and 96 losses (a 67% win ratio). He also worked for years as Coach Darren Maynard's assistant in the highly successful boys basketball program at WAHS. He retired from Mountain View (formerly Cale) Elementary School in 2020 after 30 years. He also taught Driver's Education in Albemarle county for many years. He and his wife, Linda, live in Ruckersville; they have three children (Trey, Megan, and Tyler) and one granddaughter.

Evan Renner took over the reins of the JV head coaching job from Buddy Clark in 2025 when Coach Clark retired after 25 seasons. Coach Renner helped in the Warrior program in 2021 to 2023. He grew up and played baseball in Spokane, Washington; his high school team made it to the Washington State Championship one year. Coach Renner served in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years. and earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern Illinois University. He has lived all over the U.S. and worked in the administration for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Colorado Rockies. He was Program Director for USA Prime Virginia. In 2024 he coached the Braunschweig 89ers baseball team team in Germany. Coach lives with his wife in the Charlottesville area.

Jim Freeland, Assistant Coach has been a volunteer coach in Coach Hudgins program since 1989. He had coached in various recreational baseball programs (Tee-Ball, McIntire Little League, Peachtree Babe Ruth, Lane Fall League, and C.B. Baker Babe Ruth) for many years prior to working at Western. His opportunity to coach at Western came about in a fortuitous way when his son, Ross, was playing on the junior varsity team in 1989. Thurman Collier was coaching the JVs then, and his wife delivered a baby just prior to the second game of the season. Jim was asked 90 minutes before game time if he could fill in for Coach Collier for that game. The next year when Ross was promoted to varsity, Coach Freeland went along and has been working with Coach Hudgins ever since. He has handled the scorekeeping and media communications for many years.

Coach Freeland grew up in Kansas City. He received his BS in Industrial Engineering from Bradley University in 1968, and his MS and Ph. D. from Georgia Tech in 1970 and 1973. He was on the faculty at the Stanford Graduate Business School before joining the faculty at the Darden School at the University of Virginia in 1979. He retired after 40 years in 2019 and is Emeritus Sponsors Professor of Business Administration. Coach Freeland grew up in Kansas City and is a big Chiefs and Royals fan.

He resides with his wife, Jan, in Charlottesville, Virginia. His son, Ross, and daughter, Kelley, both graduated from Western; Ross played varsity baseball for four years. Ross graduated from UVA and Northwestern with engineering degrees and worked as a supply chain consultant for three years. He taught math and coached baseball at Evanston High School in Evanston, Illinois from 2003 to 2016. He was married for the first time in 2014 and has a son, Eli. Ross died from stomach cancer on 3.14.16, 2016 after a six week battle. Kelley graduated from Roanoke College in 1999 and lives on Long Island. She is married to a New York City firefighter; they have two sons, Max and Ben.

Coach Freeland earned a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and played in the Washington DC Senior Baseball and Southern Maryland Senior Baseball Leagues for many years. He pitched for the Washington DC Titans team that won the Men's Senior League Arizona World Series in the 50+ division in 2000. In 2005 his Southern Maryland Titans team won the 48+ Championship in the Men's Senior League Fall Florida Classic. Some of his greatest thrills have been pitching in the spring training stadiums in Arizona and Florida.

Sam Parkins joined the JV coaching staff in 2019 and began working with Varsity in 2020. Coach Parkins grew up in Charlottesville, VA and attended Albemarle High School graduating in 1999. Parkins lettered eight (8) times at AHS in baseball, cross country, and indoor/outdoor track. Coach Parkins received the National U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete award in 1999 and was on the All-Academic/Athletic Team each of his lettering seasons.

Coach Parkins lettered twice in baseball and made an impact on the program his senior year in 1999. In his junior year in 1998, Parkins earned All-District and All-Region honors. He repeated each of these accolades in 1999 as team Captain, as well as adding VHSL Group AAA First Team All-State honors to his resume. Coach Parkins finished his baseball career at AHS with nine (9) school records, including a Season Average of .509 and Career average of .481.

Coach Parkins played college baseball at Division 1 LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY. Coach Parkins earned a spot on the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All Tournament Team helping LeMoyne win the MAAC conference and earn a berth into the NCAA Div. 1 Baseball Tournament against regional host N.C. State. Coach Parkins majored in Business and earned a minor in Management Information Systems in his time in college.

Coach Parkins resides in Batesville, VA with his wife, Sara, and sons Jack, Carter, and Augie. Coach runs his own construction business in the modular home industry while his wife, Charlottesville native, Sara, operates a child development center in Charlottesville. Sam has coached many local teams at Peachtree and Northside Little League, Greenwood, and with the USA Prime Organization.

Troy Fink joined the JV coaching staff in 2024 and moved to help the varsity in 2025. Coach Fink grew up in Cary, NC. In high school he played baseball and wrestled where he was all-conference in his junior and senior years. He graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Agronomy. He has worked in the Golf course maintenance industry since graduation in Chicago, Williamsburg, Richmond, and Fayetteville, AR. Since 2022 he has worked at the Keswick Club in Charlottesville. He is married to Jamie Fink and has a son, Cameron who plays on Western’s varsity. Inn Arkansas he coached youth baseball for six years.