Baseball | 5/29/2020 11:05:00 AM

    WHEELING, W.Va. – Toronto (Ohio) High School head baseball coach and West Liberty University alumnus Brian Perkins was honored Thursday as the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference's Bill Van Horne Coach of the Year.
    The announcement came as the highlight of Thursday night's virtual OVAC Banquet of Champions, which was conducted remotely due to social distancing and televised live on FOX9.
    Perkins, who was a member of West Liberty's 1990 NAIA World Series team, led his Red Knights on a magical run to the 2019 Ohio Division IV State Championship.
    Here is a link to a WTOV-TV9 video feature about Coach Perkins and the official Coach of the Year presentation by OVAC Executive Director Dirk DeCoy: OVAC Coach of the Year Brian Perkins
    Toronto earned its state championship hardware with a 3-1 victory against Hillsdale in the Ohio Division IV championship game in Akron last June to wrap up a sparkling 28-5 season that included OVAC, District and Regional crowns.
    It was the second Ohio state baseball championship for the Red Knights and only the fourth ever by an OVAC member. Perkins, who was an assistant coach on Toronto's 1998 state title squad, now owns a dazzling 329-86 record in 16 seasons as head coach.
    The WLU athletic department extends its heartiest congratulations to Coach Perkins on a very well-deserved honor!