Gary Nail retires from Reagan baseball after 14 seasons as coach
It's the end of an era for the Reagan baseball team.
Gary Nail, who has coached the Raiders for the last 14 seasons, has stepped down as the team's baseball coach.
Nail had a record of 246-101 at Reagan and guided the team to an appearance in the 4-A state championship series in 2021, where it lost the best-of-3 series to Fuquay-Varina, 2-1.
Reagan won five conference championships under Nail during his tenure, including the Central Piedmont 8-A/7A regular season and conference tournament in 2026. He also led the Raiders to 14 straight state playoff appearances and was inducted into the North Carolina Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2023.
Before he came to Reagan, Nail coached at South Stokes for 13 seasons and led the Sauras to three 1-A state championships from 2002-04.
"It has been a privilege and an honor to be the baseball coach at Reagan for the last 14 years," Nail said in a statement released on the team's X account.
"I want to thank the administration at Reagan for giving me this incredible opportunity to coach at such a special place. I truly appreciate all the support you gave to the baseball program."
Nail, who became the head coach at Reagan for the 2013 season, was an assistant coach at Reagan during the 2012 season under Jamie Mabe, who was the first coach for the team when the school opened in 2005.
"I want to thank all of the past and present coaches for their dedication and hard work they gave to not only the program, but more importantly, to our players," Nail continued. "You guys help lay the foundation. I want to thank every player that wore the Reagan uniform. Your work ethic, hard work, and belief in what we wanted to be as a baseball program helped make it one of the best in the state. I am forever in your debt because without you guys, this program would not have reached the status that it has."
Josh Hartle, a left-handed pitcher who played for Nail at Reagan before going to Wake Forest, helped lead the Raiders to the 4-A state championship series in 2021. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year that season after going 8-0 with a 0.60 ERA and 82 strikeouts. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 83rd overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft before being traded to the Cleveland Guardians, where he was the Midwest League Pitcher of the Year for the Lake County (Ohio) Captains, the Guardians High-A affiliate last season. He is currently playing for Akron, Cleveland's AA affiliate in the Eastern League.
"Coach Nail was a huge part of my development as a player and as a person," Hartle said via text message. "He always showed up to the field ready to coach. He was a true role model on and off the field. I'm grateful I got to play under him for four years."
Reagan finished the 2026 season with a 24-3 record, including a 10-0 mark in conference play. The Raiders lost 11-1 against Marvin Ridge in the fourth round of the 7-A state tournament last Friday night to end their season.
"Lastly, I want to thank my family for allowing me to coach," Nail said. "Thank you for your patience, support, and understanding. It means so much to me that you allowed me to do what I love for so long. Always a Raider!"
John Dell contributed to this story
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