Tom Donald will not coach baseball this season at Buchanan.
The highly successful head coach told his team Thursday afternoon he was stepping away from the program to attend to personal matters.
Donald had been suspended since the season began on Feb. 12 for undisclosed reasons.
“This is the right thing to do at this time,” Donald told the Clovis Roundup. “It will allow me some time for person self-reflection and take stock in what’s important. The silver lining has been that I’ve been able to spend some time and gain perspective.”
Donald was expected to return on March 21 just before Tri-River Athletic Conference was set to begin.
The head coach said he is uncertain in his coaching future and stated, “It’s my decision to step away.”
According to Central Section historian Bob Barnett, Donald has posted a career record of 485-135-5 to go along with two national titles (2011 and 2016), six section (‘05, ‘06, ‘10, ‘11, ‘15, ‘16) and nine league championships.
Donald will continue to teach at the school. w
Brad Fontes, the head coach at Central last season who returned to the Bears’ staff this season, was named head coach for the remainder of the season
The Bears are currently 5-1 and ranked No. 10 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.