MEET THE COACHES

COACH AMOS

VARSITY BASEBALL COACH

Coach Amos is in his 22nd year at Walton High School as a teacher and a coach. Shane Amos is in his 8th year as Varsity Baseball head Coach for the Raiders. In addition to baseball he also is a Assistant Coach for Varsity football.

Coach Amos is a graduate of Osborne High School, where he played as a catcher and DH. He lettered in baseball, wrestling and football. He is also a graduate of State University of West Georgia and the University of Alabama.

Shane was also a head baseball coach at Pebblebrook High School from 1995-97, where he led the Falcons to their first playoff in ten years.
As the Varsity head coach at Walton he has led the Raiders to two state playoffs, (07-08) bringing home the the State Championship in 2007.
2007-2008 Coach Amos was the Georgia Dugout Club COACH OF THE YEAR and in 2007 the Marietta Daily Journals, COACH OF THE YEAR.

Coach Amos and his wife Cathy have been married for 20 years. They have two beautiful daughters, Ashley Kate, 15 and Abby, 13.

Contact: Coach Shane Amos

COACH IMPERIAL

JUNIOR VARSITY COACH

For the 2010 Season Coach Imperial will be the Junior Varsity Head Coach. Coach Imperial was the Junior Varsity programs head coach for 6 years until 2004 when he became an assistant to Coach Amos with the Varsity team. This will be his 11th season coaching baseball at Walton.

Coach Imperial is also a Varsity football assistant coach. He teaches History and Current Issues.

Coach Imperial grew up in Midland Park, New Jersey, where he played both football and baseball in high school. He graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, where he was a football All-American.

Prior to Walton, he spent three years at Woodward Academy where he coached both sports, as well as at two Illinois high schools previous to that.

Coach Imperial lives in Marietta, with his wife Stephanie. He has two stepchildren, Rachael, (14) and Ben, (11), and son Michael(2).

Contact Coach Jeff Imperial:Coach Jeff Imperial

COACH STARUCH

This will be Matt’s fifth season coaching at Walton and his fourth helping out with the Varsity. Matt graduated from Walton in 2000 and he is very thankful to have the opportunity to give back to a school that did so much for him as a student athlete.

Before moving to Georgia, Matt played baseball at Eastern High School in Louisville, Kentucky. He was a part of a very talented team that finished in the Elite Eight of the State Playoffs. Matt was also honored to be a part of a Walton team that finished 3rd in the State. He is very excited about what should be another very successful season this year.

Matt graduated from the University of Georgia with both an Undergraduate and Masters Degree in Social Science Education. He also earned an Athletic Coaching minor and a Gifted Education endorsement. He is currently teaching AP Human Geography in his “spare time.”
Matt and his wife, Amy Vitala, got married this past summer. Amy also teaches at Walton and is a big supporter of Walton baseball.
Contact Coach Matt Staruch:Coach Matt Staruch

COACH HALL

This will be Brennan’s third season helping coach at Walton. He attended Athens Drive High school in Raleigh, North Carolina where he was First Team All State for two seasons playing third base and pitching while helping the school reach a number 13 national ranking by USA Today.

After high school Brennan received a scholarship to play baseball at North Carolina State University. After one season he transferred to the University of Louisville, where he was a part of the first ever NCAA Regional team in school history. After completing a degree in Sport Management, with a minor in Marketing at Louisville, Brennan attended graduate school at Georgia State where he received a Masters degree in Sport Management

Brennan then went to Dayton, Ohio to coach at Wright State University, a D1 school, under head coach Rob Cooper. He coached outfielders and hitters and was in charge of all camps and baseball administrative duties at the school.

At Wright State he coached three all conference outfielders and two players taken in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

He is currently working for former booster club member Rich Kroko with Atlanta Concrete Surfaces.

Brennan’s brother is former Walton Raider baseball standout, Mickey Hall, 2nd round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2003.

Contact Coach Hall: COACH BRENNAN HALL

COACH SCHNITGER

Coach Schnitger attended St. Michael's High School in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he lettered in baseball three out of four years.In his senior year Kyle was named All District and All State on a team that finished 4th in the state.

After high school Kyle received a baseball scholarship to play at Newman University. At Newman he played four years, two as a catcher and one each as an outfielder and infielder.
Kyle also coached as a graduate assistant for one year working primarily with catchers. He earned his degree in Secondary Education with a Minor in Biology. Kyle recently moved from Colorado where he taught 8th grade science and coached for Slammers Baseball. This is his third year helping coach the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams at Walton.
He is married to his wife Kerrilyn and teaching 7th grade science at Dodgen Middle School.

Contact Coach Kyle Schnitger: Coach Kyle Schnitger:

COACH JOHNSON

Coach Johnson was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. He attended East Gaston High School where he played both Pitcher and 3rd Base for the Warriors. Coach Johnson attended Appalachian State University where he received his BS in Electronic Media/Broadcasting with a Minor in Psychology.

Before coming to Walton, Coach Johnson previously worked for The Bert Show on Q100 and worked under the name "Hoss."

Coach Johnson is currently in his second year of teaching Special Education at Norton Park Elementary and this is his second season of coaching at Walton.

Coach Johnson is not married, but in a serious relationship with girlfriend Jenn Fallin, who works at Q100.

Contact Coach Kevin Johnson -Coach Kevin Johnson

ASSISTANT PRINCIPLE/ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Christian Suttle, Director of Athletics Coach Suttle is a native of Birmingham, AL. where he played football at Huffman High School. He played free safety at Kentucky State University and Miles College in Birmingham. Christian served on the Raiders 9th grade coaching staff beginning in the 2002 season. He later coached running backs and the secondary until being named in 2007 as the Director of Athletics for Walton High School. Coach Suttle holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Miles College and Masters in School Administration from Jacksonville State University. He and his wife Cappie reside in Marietta and have five children: Tati, Brennen, twin boys Mason and Connor and Grant.

Athletic SPORTS TRAINER

Greg Clark, Head Trainer

Upon finishing graduate school at the University of Virginia, Greg was the Head Athletic Trainer at West Georgia College and later at Carson Newman College. In 1993, he took an Athletic Trainer position at Gwinnett Hospital system working directly with various high school athletic programs including Greater Atlanta Christian School for six years. GACS had a playoff football team all six seasons and played for the GHSA State Championship in 2002.

Some of Greg's other athletic training experiences have revolved around baseball. While in college, he served as the Athletic Trainer for the Atlanta Braves affiliate in Bradenton, Florida. He was also a Staff ATC for the Baseball Venue in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Greg's personal interests include custom fishing rod building and fishing.