ACE Athletic Director Josh McLendon to leave ACE after this year

ACE Athletic Director Josh McLendon will leave the school after this season, the coach told The Macon Melody.

“Things happen in seasons, and this was just the end of my season at ACE. We still have a lot of work left to do with spring sports still in contention for multiple championships, but I’m just really proud of everything we built here,” McLendon, who also serves as ACE’s head baseball and softball coach, said. “It was a situation where — and I know this sounds cliche — you just know it’s time to move on. This was what was best for me and my family.”

McLendon, the baseball and softball coach at ACE since 2017 and the athletic director since 2018, could not yet say where he’ll be working next.

McLendon led both the ACE softball and baseball programs to significant success, winning a state championship in softball in 2021 and leading the baseball team to a Final Four appearance in 2020. Both teams won four consecutive region championships.

“We’ve made the playoffs every year in softball, and we won all those region championships with both teams. We’ve sent a lot of girls to play college softball and a lot of boys to play college baseball. It’s been really rewarding,” he said.

McLendon, a Macon native who attended Central Fellowship Christian Academy and played baseball at Mercer in the early 2000s before coaching at Monroe Academy and CFCA, reflected Tuesday on his career with the Gryphons.

“The plan was for me to become the AD after the first director retired, and that happened my second year here in 2018,” he said. “The exciting part of being athletic director was just the blank slate. There’s a lot you can build. Especially with baseball and softball, it was really fun to start from the ground up with the facilities, the kids, the whole program.

“When I got here, we didn’t have dugouts. We didn’t have batting cages. It meant a lot to me to add all these features — a press box, new stadium seats, things like that — and turn it into a great program with great facilities.”

McLendon’s wife, Julie, teaches at ACE. His son, Jake, starred for the baseball team as a senior this season with a .375 batting average and 24 stolen bases. His daughter, Jaymi Kate, played on the softball team.

“My wife was here teaching the day the school opened. It’s been a great run for us. ACE means so much to our family,” he said. “It’s bittersweet leaving something like this. I’ll really miss the relationships, the success we’ve had, but I’m excited to build something new and put down new roots.”

As athletic director, McLendon presided over ACE’s fledgling sports teams as they grew by leaps and bounds after the school opened in 2014. 

“That first year when I got here, we weren’t playing any varsity sports. They were adding a grade each year, so we could only field teams with freshmen and sophomores,” McLendon said. “It was a unique situation, and watching it all grow out of that was really special.”

The Gryphons football team transformed into a playoff team and occasional region title contender. ACE’s boys soccer team nearly won a state championship, losing 2-0 to Georgia Military College in 2021. The girls soccer team made the Elite Eight last year and appears poised for playoff success this season after an impressive performance thus far.

“Across the board, I really do think we’ve had one of the best coaching staffs in Middle Georgia. We’ve got former ADs like (head football coach) Keith Hatcher and other guys, we had Matt Chambliss on staff here at one point, we’ve got (girls basketball coach) Todd Whetsel. I could go on an on and still not name everyone,” McLendon said of ACE’s other sports teams. “It’s such a great group here, and I want that success to continue on.”

McLendon expects his wife Julie to teach wherever he ends up as a coach.

“We kind of joke, we’re a package deal,” he said. “Like I said, this just felt right for our family. We’re ready for whatever is next.”