After 24 Seasons, Dave Ferris To Step Down

When the 2024 Severna Park baseball season rolls around next March, the team will have a new look, and it won’t be because of their uniforms. After several seasons of silently considering retirement, Dave Ferris, longtime junior varsity head coach, has decided to call it a career at Severna Park High School.

What a career it’s been — 333 wins and 74 losses for a regular season winning percentage of 82 percent. One undefeated season. Three seasons with only one loss.

Since Anne Arundel County established state championships for junior varsity teams in all sports, Ferris’ teams were in all three finals, winning one in 2023.

“After we won the county championship this spring, I felt now was a good time to go out on top,” he said.

Ferris, who also coached many of those same players in the summer American Legion league, decided to wait until the American Legion state championship was over July 29 to make his decision public. His team would be the first to hear his decision.

“I knew when I wanted to do it. I wanted the kids to stay focused, so I waited until the end,” Ferris said. “The kids won the Anne Arundel County American Legion league, and they finished runner-up in the state tournament. Now was the time to have that conversation.”

Sitting outside Joe Cannon Stadium in Hanover on a blisteringly hot day, after a tiring loss, Ferris announced his retirement, leaving his players and their parents stunned.

High school baseball coaches in the county were also surprised, including Northeast High School junior varsity head baseball coach Tom Caines, who said few coaches are as focused and prepared as Ferris.

“Severna Park is always going to be good, but I admired the way Dave could be so competitive while also carrying a large squad,” Caines said. “Up and down the bench, Dave’s kids were prepared, but I also had to figure out a way to beat Dave.”

Caines called Ferris a smart, competitive, and strategic coach like no other. He recalled one game where Northeast was down two runs in the seventh inning but had runners on first and second with two outs. Northeast just needed a good hit and then to hold the Falcons in the bottom of the seventh.

“I had a strong hitter coming to the plate. I knew a deep hit to center field would require Dave’s team to do three things perfectly … field the ball, then execute a two-throw relay to the plate. If one of those things wasn’t perfect, we’d tie or go ahead,” recalled Caines, who called timeout to talk to his batter.

During those few moments, Caines believes Ferris knew exactly what he was thinking and called out to his Falcon fielders to make position adjustments.

The Northeast batter hit a deep shot over the Falcons centerfielder, who fielded the ball perfectly and launched a missile to the shortstop cutoff man, who turned and fired the ball to home plate. A picture-perfect tag at the plate on the lead runner sealed Northeast’s fate and a Severna Park win.

“That’s how he coached. Every play was about strategy,” Caines said. “Dave didn’t just think about that play. He was already thinking about the next play and the play after that.”

Ferris’ high school coaching career began at the start of the 1999 school year when Severna Park High School varsity baseball coach and Greater Severna Park Athletic Association executive director at the time, Jim McCandless, approached Ferris about coaching the high school’s junior varsity baseball team. At the time, Ferris was coaching an eighth-grade travel team through Green Hornets. He accepted McCandless’ offer and juggled coaching two teams that spring. The following school year, the core of his Green Hornets team entered high school.

Ferris’ son Andrew played only a handful of JV games before being called up to varsity. During his sophomore year, the younger Ferris, along with coach Ferris’ core team that he’d coached from a young age — including Chris Crum, Evan Richter, Harrison Taylor and David Sells — were all part of Severna Park’s first baseball state championship in 2003. They are still the only five baseball players to have won two state championships.

“That was a very special year knowing that those kids, including my own son, were able to step up to varsity and all make contributions in that first [state] championship for Severna Park,” Ferris said. “And then for them to all win it again two years later as seniors was a very proud moment for me personally.”

In Ferris’ 24 years in the dugout, Severna Park’s varsity team reached the state championship final game eight times, winning three titles.

“Knowing that I might have had a part of varsity’s success is very, very rewarding,” Ferris added.

Long before Severna Park topped the state in baseball, Ferris was himself a standout player at Northeast High School, earning All-County honors twice and All-Metro honors in his senior year when Northeast would win its own state championship.

In that game, down five runs in the seventh inning, the speedy center fielder came up big when his team needed him the most. Ferris hit a double and a triple, scored twice and had four RBIs in that last half inning to lift Northeast to the state title.

“That was pretty special,” Ferris recalled, speaking of that big win for Northeast but also of sharing a state championship experience with his son. Ferris went on to play at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where he hit .300 or better three out of four years and earned All-American status.

But it was his time at Northeast and being coached by an icon, Harry Lentz, when Ferris saw the kind of coach he wanted to be.

“Some coaches are tremendous coaches, know the game inside and out, but cannot relate to kids,” Ferris said. “Others can relate to kids but don’t know the game well. Harry had the great ability to not only know the game but also relate to kids, so when you think about that, who do you want your kid to play for?”

Green Hornets travel coach Tim Bowerman wrote to Ferris to say he was sorry his son, a rising freshman, would not get a chance to play for him.

“Coach Ferris has been great with the boys,” Bowerman said. “He started working with my team when we were 11U, coming out to our practices and sharing his baseball knowledge with the boys and coaches. Coach Ferris would always check in with me about how the team and individual boys were performing. He was great for the development of the boys and instrumental in getting them ready for high school tryouts. I personally enjoyed all our baseball conversations and all I was able to take away from them.”

Ralph Suppa has the unique perspective of being both a player of Ferris’ in high school and coaching with him with the American Legion.

“I will always hold coach Ferris in the highest esteem,” Suppa said. “He was not only a coach but a mentor. His knowledge and experience are what has led to his success season after season at JV and junior legion. He’s led his teams to be higher-caliber baseball players, and better men. I’m truly grateful for his help and leadership.”

Brendan Clark played for Ferris and was an assistant coach for the last two summer seasons with the American Legion.

“My baseball career as a coach and player would not be the same without coach Ferris,” Clark said. “He is a great coach, mentor and friend. Severna Park was incredibly lucky to have him over the last 24 years.”

Clark was one of three brothers to play for Ferris at Severna Park High School.

“Dave has been a critical piece of Severna Park’s baseball success. His commitment and dedication to the program will be hard to replace,” said Ed Clark. “I am honored to say my kids play for him. Coach Ferris is Severna Park baseball, and he will be missed.”

After being involved in baseball for more than 60 years, don’t expect Ferris to step away from the game entirely. First coached by his father, then coaching his son, Ferris is looking forward to watching his grandson be coached by his son Andrew, and perhaps, one day, win his own state championship.

“I’ve been an umpire more than 40 years and a coach for more than 30 years,” Ferris added. “I still like coaching, still like working with kids, so I cannot see myself giving up coaching altogether. It’s just a matter of how much and at what level.”

For the last nine summers, Ferris has teamed up with Joe Zimmerman, retired Archbishop Spalding JV baseball coach, to coach after the high school season ends. That team is now part of the American Legion league representing Severna Park and Post 175.

Ferris was also instrumental in bringing the 15U Sandlot league under the American Legion umbrella. Whether it’s coaching in the summer or getting even more involved with the younger players in Green Hornets, coach Ferris will continue to have a strong presence in Severna Park baseball.

Twenty-four high school seasons, with roughly 24 players per season, equals nearly 600 kids and their families with whom Ferris has run the bases.

“Having great lasting relationships with kids and families is something that makes me very proud,” Ferris said. “I run into kids, now adults, or their families and they always remember plays or incidents with me, and that’s special. I hope that means I’ve made a positive impact.”