Baseball Coaches

Coaches Biography Page - Baseball

Merritt Ainslie - Varsity Head Coach

My name is Merritt Ainslie and I'm the head varsity baseball coach for the Morgan County Diamond Dogs. I am married to Megan Ainslie and we are celebrating 13 years this March. We have two beautiful kids, Sam (8) and Amelia (6). Megan is a teacher at Morgan County primary school.

I graduated from Morgan County High School in 2000. During high school I was a member of the football, cross-country, basketball, and baseball teams. After high school I attended North Georgia College and State University where I played baseball for Tom Cantrell. I was also a member of the Corps of Cadets. After college, I was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army and was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany for 5 years. While living in Europe I deployed for two combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. After completing my 8 year military service I returned to Georgia and finished a masters degree in education from the University of Georgia. I taught adapted curriculum special education here at Morgan County High School for 4 years and then transitioned to take the role as the high school Work Based Learning Coordinator where I currently serve.

I've served as the head baseball coach for Morgan County since the 2016 season. Prior to that I was an assistant baseball coach for 1 year as well as an assistant fastpitch softball coach from 2012-2013.

What I enjoy most about coaching is sharing my experiences and teaching athletes how to be successful in life and productive members of society through lessons learned in the game of baseball.

My hobbies revolve around my family. We love to play sports, hunting/fishing, and farming.

Duane Turner - C-Team Head Coach

I Graduated from Heritage High School in Conyers Georgia in 1995. While in High school I played football, wrestled and played baseball. I went to Georgia State University and graduated in 2006 with a degree in Middle Grades Education. This is my 15th year coaching and teaching. I have coached middle school and high school wrestling for 15 years, middle school and high school softball for 15 years and this is my 7th year coaching baseball at the high school level. I also spent two years coaching middle school football. I am currently a 7th grade math teacher at Morgan County Middle school. My favorite thing about coaching is teaching young people how sports relate to life. There are so many life lessons to be learned from competition. My hobbies include Alabama football and spending time with my wife and kids.

Jeff Snipes- C-Team Assistant Coach

My name is Jeff Snipes. I am an assistant coach for the C team. I am married to Tina and we have four children, Hadleigh (15), RubyGrace (8), DixieMae (5), and Jep (2).

I graduated from Greene Co high school in 1998. I played football and baseball in high school. I then attended Middle Ga college in Cochran where I also played football. I now own and operate Snipes Tree Service, a local tree removal service here in Madison.

I enjoy coaching here at Morgan county. I began coaching football in 2012 and just completed my 9th consecutive season. This will be my third season coaching baseball. I was an assistant coach for the varsity team in 2018 and 2019 and am happy to be back on the field in 2021.

My favorite part of coaching is not just teaching these guys the sport, but forming relationships and helping them become great men. I’m looking forward to an awesome season! Go Dogs!

Andrew Couch - Varsity Assistant Coach

My name is Andrew Couch and I am and assistant coach for the Varsity Baseball Team. I am married to Morgan McBay Couch who is a registered nurse at the Morgan County Health Department. We will be married two years in April and with us is our golden retriever, Cash.

I graduated from Morgan County High School in 2013. During high school, I played football, baseball, and basketball. After high school, I attended the University of Georgia where I graduated in 2017 with a Bachelors in Sport Management. While at UGA, I had the opportunity to intern with their strength and conditioning program and work with the football team training in the weight room. Go Dawgs!

I now have my own company, Wheaton-Nichols Construction LLC, and work as a licensed general contractor. We primarily focus on commercial projects but do some residential renovations as well.

This will be my third year coaching for Morgan County High School. Last year I was an assistant JV baseball coach and finished out the season as an assistant Varsity baseball coach. What I enjoy most about coaching is forming a relationship with my players. I enjoy following their success on and off the field and watching them grow into great young men.

In my free time, I enjoy hunting/fishing and spending time with family and friends.