Powell baseball hires veteran coach Josh Warner from Pigeon Forge

Less than two weeks after losing its baseball coach, Powell hired Josh Warner on Wednesday, the school announced.

Warner served as an assistant at Pigeon Forge this past season, helping the Tigers finish with a 27-9 record and a state tournament appearance.

"Coach Warner is a seasoned coach who is passionate about the game and growing young men," Powell athletic director Chad Smith said in a statement. "He is a proven winner who will continue to build on the strong tradition here at Powell and is ready to hit the ground running." 

Warner replaces Logan Dalton, who resigned July 14 to become an assistant coach at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. 

Warner has been a head coach at Easley High School in South Carolina, Gatlinburg-Pittman and Jefferson County. He has a career record of 178-66. 

"My family and I are excited to be back in Tennessee and feel extremely blessed to be joining a community and program rich in tradition and success," said Warner, an East Tennessee native, in a statement. "Coach Dalton and Coach Scarbro have built a solid foundation and tradition that we will work tirelessly to continue to build." 

Powell went 26-7 this past season, losing to Hardin Valley in the Region 2-AAA semifinals. The Panthers haven't been to the state tournament since 1981, when they lost in the state championship to White Station.