The Denison coaching staff made its second change in less than a month but it didn't go outside its ranks for the latest head coach.
But just like with new boys basketball head coach Jody Bass, who was hired away from Flower Mound Marcus, new head baseball coach Barry Hughes has a string of accomplishments on his resume.
Hughes served as an assistant for the Yellow Jackets this past season and was promoted when head coach Charlie Means and pitching coach Jeff Wigington, both former Jacket players, stepped down to spend more time with their respective families.
The two will remain as assistants within the athletic department but the births of children within the last year -- Means' first child, Wigington's second with his wife, Ashli, who is Denison's softball coach -- meant more time on the field than they were willing to spend because of their personal obligations.
Enter Hughes, who won a state championship in his first year as a head coach -- with Prosper in 1984. He has also made the playoffs at Mineola, Commerce, Texas High and Savoy, won eight district titles, 70 percent of his games and reached a region final three times.
Denison hasn't made the playoffs since 2001 and won a postseason game since the year prior to that. The Yellow Jackets went 5-16 this season with almost all of the losses coming during 9-4A play (0-14).
Denison had a chance to win at least four of those games but the Jackets couldn't find a consistent mix of hitting, pitching and fielding to hold on and put away those few chances.
The drop-off in results this year comes after the program won 19 games two seasons ago, but did not make the playoffs, and was one victory from making the postseason in both 2004 and 2005 but finished fourth both times.