Nansemond-Suffolk Academy’s baseball coach is leaving the program after six years.

David Mitchell, the NSA baseball coach, will be stepping away and moving on to new endeavors. He has accepted the head coaching position at Paul D. Camp Community College in Franklin. He will also be the athletic director there as well.

The decision was not easy for Mitchell, as he been a part of the program for years. His own children also attend NSA.

“They have been great to me and my family,” Mitchell said of his time at NSA. “They’ve done a great job there. There were no hard feelings, but the Paul D. Camp opportunity is the best opportunity for me and my family right now.”

Mitchell mentioned that the toughest part was standing in front of his team and letting them know that he will not be returning.

“It’s a tough thing to do, but it is the right thing to do,” Mitchell said about speaking to his team. “I spoke to them and encouraged them and let them know that they have a bright future ahead of them. They were excited for me and my family.”

In the future, Mitchell believes he will remain in contact with the team. As he goes on to the college level, he will be recruiting players from NSA as well as other areas of Suffolk.

When Mitchell first got to NSA, the baseball program was not as robust as it is now. It was just one team of players of all grades and skill levels. Eventually, Mitchell was able to break them up into JJV, JV and varsity teams and develop players on each level.

NSA was a top three team in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools and was consistently ranked on the state level as well.

Academically, players under Mitchell have had the opportunity to play baseball in college but instead chose to pursue their educations on a higher level.

“The program was more than baseball,” Mitchell said. “It was about developing young men and their character on and off the field and helping them excel academically. That’s one of the things I will remember most.”

The season ended for NSA last Tuesday in a VISAA state quarterfinals lost. This season, they were 13-8 and were ranked among the top eight teams in the state for most of the season.