Story by: Jake Stoup

The University of Montevallo esports team has lost its head coach. Ethan Baggett, known on the team as Coach Ethan, announced on March 5 that he would be stepping down as head coach.

To the athletes on the team, news of Baggett’s resignation was a shock, especially after many of the teams having a record-breaking seasons with over half the teams being undefeated or only losing one game the whole season.

Many of the athletes expressed mixed feelings about Baggett leaving, but a common sentiment was that they felt sad seeing him leave. 

Many of the students were worried that Coach Ethan leaving would create a hole in their community. Coach Ethan had a major impact on the esports community on campus. Team members said he inspired them to not only be better players, but better people.

Coach Ethan wasn’t just there for his team as players. He also made sure that they knew they had someone they could talk about personal issues. “He was always there to talk to when I had team-related or mental issues,” team member Ally Ayala said.

During his time at UM, Coach Ethan made major changes to the esports team here on campus, fixing many of the issues that have plagued the team for years. This included getting air conditioning installed in the esports room in Reynolds Hall, fixing multiple broken gaming computers, and securing larger mouse pads to help players have more room while playing.

Many of the players hope UM finds a replacement that can hopefully fill Baggett’s role as both a coach and role model.