After eight seasons leading Nansemond-Suffolk’s baseball program, Saint alum Michael Curry is stepping away from coaching the Saints.

Spending more time with his family, including his 4-year-old daughter, and taking on more projects as a teacher guided Curry’s decision to step down once the season ended this spring.

“This year was tough. With everything that was going on, sometimes it felt as though I was wearing too many hats,” Curry said.

“Time with my family, that’s the big deal,” Curry said.

Curry will continue teaching, as a physical education teacher for the middle-school grades.

This past school year, Curry was the chairperson for a new school-wide initiative promoting school spirit and competition, on sporting fields and off them.

“It’s a work in progress. There’s been a lot of brainstorming going on as we’ve gotten started but it’s certainly something we’re going to make into a tradition,” Curry said.

The school body, from kindergarten to seniors, is divided into a Blue team and a Gold team. Academic, athletic and civic activities add up throughout the school year to decide the winning side. Siblings are always on the same team. Alumni will remain team members. The program will become increasingly student-run as the idea grows, Curry said.

“There’s a big, long-range focus behind it,” Curry said.

“He’s in charge of that for the whole school,” said athletic director Betty Jean Riddick.

“It really is a lot that he’s responsible for and he’s focusing on that,” Riddick said.

Curry graduated from NSA in 1998 and went on to pitch at Marshall University. He took up the head coaching job in 2003 and coached JV boys soccer, which he’s also stepping away from. On the diamond, the Saints won the Tidewater Conference Tournament and reached the state semifinals in 2009.

“When I came to my decision I met with the guys and told them and they understood,” Curry said.

“I told them, ‘I’m still here and I want to be involved in your careers,’” he said. “I’ve been teaching most them since they were in the fifth grade.”

The youth of the Saint baseball squad made his decision a little easier.

“The new coach will have two or three years to work with most of the guys, so in that sense, it’s a good time to step away,” Curry said.

After losing eight seniors from the 2009 team, the Saints won five games in 2010 and were 10-14 this spring.

The school is conducting a search for the baseball coaching position. Interested candidates should send a resume to Ms. Betty Jean Riddick, Director of Athletics, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, 3373 Pruden Boulevard, Suffolk, Va. 23434 or briddick@nsacademy.org.