KARNS CITY — Baseball and Randy Collins just seem to go together.

The 1997 Butler graduate was a pitcher and third baseman with the Golden Tornado and was the team's offensive MVP his junior year.

He went on to pitch for Slippery Rock University before graduating with a sports management degree in 2002.

For 12 years, Collins was an instructor with Jay Fennell's Nothing But Baseball organization in Butler Township.

Last summer, Collins and his family hosted Colby Roberts of the Butler BlueSox during the Prospect League season.

Now Collins will coach the Karns City High baseball team. The 32-year-old Herman resident replaces Travis Twentier, who had to resign for employment reasons after one year.

“I enjoyed working with Travis and I was sorry to see him go,” Collins said. “I thought we were going to be the two guys going forward to bring stability to the program.”

Collins, who served as an assistant coach for only one year, becomes the Gremlins' fifth head coach in eight years and the fourth straight to be promoted from within.

Karns City is coming off a 12-8 season that ended with a loss to Redbank Valley in the District 9 Class AA championship game. The Gremlins have had only one losing season in the last decade.

“It's worked out for us,” KC athletic director Tom Wagner said about the in-house promotions. “Our baseball program has been consistent and we're trying to take it to the next level.”

Terry Stiehler and Dave Summerville, assistant coaches with Collins last year, will remain.

The Gremlins return six seniors and Collins said he expects the squad “to be very competitive.”

“I'm all about winning, but not at all costs,” Collins said. “I'm hoping to pass my enthusiasm for baseball on to these kids.”

Wagner said Collins' work at Fennell's baseball school weighed heavily in his interview.

“He's done a lot of individual instruction and we've always treated our athletic program as an extension of the classroom,” Wagner said.

Collins has two sons, ages 5 and 6, playing T-ball in the East Butler Baseball Association.

“I've never pushed it on them, but they've really taken to the game,” he said. “I feel privileged to be named head coach at Karns City. I joined the staff last year because I had been away from teaching baseball for a couple of years and I missed it.”