Coach Bell led the Manheim Central Barons Baseball Program
for 28 years—from 1972 until he retired at the conclusion of
the 1999 season. The Barons won Section Titles eight times
under Coach Bell’s leadership (1977, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1990,
1991, 1993, 1994). Coach Bell’s Barons were
Lancaster-Lebanon League Champions four times, capturing
the coveted League Title in 1983, 1984, 1991 and 1993.
Following one year with a losing record in 1972 (7–9), he
led the Barons to 27 consecutive winning seasons before
retiring.
During this time in League and District history, baseball
teams in Pennsylvania were divided into three categories—A,
AA and AAA. The effect of this classification methodology is
that twice as many teams were in each classification than
there are in the modern system of six classifications. One
could conclude that during this era it would be twice as
difficult to qualify for District Playoffs than it is in
the modern era. Nevertheless, Coach Bell’s Baron teams
qualified for District Playoffs in 11 seasons as a AAA
school (1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994,
1995, 1996, 1999), and reached the District Championship
game in 1994.
The 1994 team was the first Baron squad to qualify for the
PIAA State Tournament, winning in the opening round against
Williamsport before falling to Plymouth-Whitemarsh in the
Quarter-Final Round.
Coach Bell’s overall baseball record at Manheim Central is
410–205. His 410 wins as a Head Coach are 2nd most in League
history, behind only Tom Getz (423–211 overall record in
29 seasons at Hempfield, 1977–2006).
Coach Bell was inducted into the Lancaster-Lebanon League
Hall of Fame in 2018, the Susquehanna Valley Chapter of the
Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1988, the Lancaster
County Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Manheim Central
Hall of Fame in 2012.
Coach Troy Brown (2000)
Coach Troy Brown captained the Barons ship for the 2000
season. It was a remarkable season in that the Barons won
their 5th Lancaster-Lebanon League Championship. The Barons
entered the PIAA District 3 Tournament and won their first
game against Mechanicsburg before falling to Chambersburg
in the Quarter Final Round. Chambersburg would go on to
win the District Three and AAA State Championship in 2000.
The 2000 Barons ended the regular season tied with Warwick.
In the Section Two playoff game, Warwick defeated the
Barons to give Warwick the Section Two crown. Manheim
Central entered the League Tournament as the Runners-Up
in Section Two, but defeated Lancaster Catholic and
Hempfield to earn a rematch with Warwick, with the Barons
prevailing 6–4.
Coach Brown’s record in 2000 was 19–6.
Coach Jason Thompson (2001–2013; 2019–2025)
Coach Jason Thompson led the Barons during two separate
stints. His combined tenure as Head Coach adds up to
20 years (19 seasons due to the cancellation of the
2020 season). A proud member of the Manheim Central
class of ’94, Coach Thompson served as an assistant
coach to Troy Brown in 2000 before being named Head
Coach for the 2001 season.
Coach Thompson’s teams captured four Section Titles
(2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) and brought the Lancaster-Lebanon
League Championship to Manheim in 2021. The Barons qualified
for Lancaster-Lebanon League Playoffs nine times
(2001, 2010, 2013, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
during his tenure. While the 2022 Baron squad won
Manheim’s only District 3 Baseball Title, Coach Thompson’s
teams qualified for District Three Playoffs 14 times
(2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2019,
2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) and reached the Championship
Game in 2009 and 2022. His winning record (14–13) in
District Playoffs is remarkable in the extremely
competitive postseason. Manheim Central has reached the
PIAA State Playoffs six times in school history—Coach
Thompson took the Barons to three of their appearances
(2009, 2021, 2022), advancing as far as the State
Semi-Final (Final Four) in 2021.
Coach Thompson resigned as the Head Baseball Coach after
the 2025 season, leaving a legacy of excellence, class
and competitiveness for all future Baron teams to aspire
to. His teams finished with a winning record in 13 of
his 19 seasons, and he leaves behind a record of 251–169
as the Head Coach of the Barons.
Coach Matt Huber (2014–2018)
Coach Matt Huber was at the helm of the Manheim Central
Baseball Program for five seasons—2014–2018—compiling an
overall record of 76–41–1 over 118 games. The Barons
enjoyed very strong seasons in each of Coach Huber’s
years as Head Baseball Coach.
A 2001 Manheim Central graduate, Coach Huber was on the
Barons’ staff as an assistant coach for eight years before
he stepped into the Head Coach role in 2014. Under his
direction, the Barons won two Section Three Titles
(2016, 2018), reached the Lancaster-Lebanon League Playoffs
four times (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), qualified for the
District Three Tournament four times (2014, 2015, 2017,
2018) and competed in the PIAA State Tournament twice
(2015, 2017).