Chester resigns as Cartersville baseball coach, takes Buford job

Stuart Chester, head baseball coach at Cartersville, has resigned to take the same position at Buford High School.

Chester won 532 games with the Purple Hurricanes over 20 years — including six state titles, 10 Final Four appearances, and 14 region titles. The Cartersville program was named ‘Program of the Decade’ for the first ten years of the 2000’s.

Cartersville won the Class AA state championship in 2001 and 2002, then followed those wins in 2003 with a Class AAA title. The Canes then won Class AAA again in 2008, 2009, and 2013.

The Buford program has three state titles — winning Class B in 1977, Class AA in 2011, and Class AAAA in 2015.

Chester has 563 career coaching wins in 26 seasons.

Dr. J. Howard Hinesley, Cartersville City Schools superintendent, told WBHF Sports that the school system would now begin accepting applications for the position.

Cartersville was 22-10 this past season and finished fourth in Region 5-AAAA. The Canes were ousted in the first round of the Class AAAA state playoffs by perennial power Blessed Trinity.

Chester follows coach Tony Wolfe at Buford. The Wolves were 20-14 in 2017 and lost to Wayne County in the Class AAAAA state tournament’s second round.