Mike Woods started as a freshman baseball coach at Anderson Junior High School in Chandler for nine seasons.
In 1998, he moved across town to the newly opened Hamilton High School. And there he stayed, coaching the nine-time state tournament-winning Huskies for 26 years and counting.

The National High School Baseball Coaches Association recently announced Woods has been selected for induction into its Hall of Fame, according to a news release.

Woods built his program on high standards and accountability, the release states. He demanded that his athletes play hard, compete and be good teammates.

With Woods as head coach, Hamilton has piled up its nine Arizona big school state titles in three different decades — 2003, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023. The Huskies have also been state runners-up in 2005, 2009 and 2011.

The team reached the state semifinals 16 times and has appeared, as of 2023, in 22 consecutive state tournaments. The Huskies have also won 11 regional crowns.
Winning at about a .740 clip, Woods’ teams have a record of 579-209.

There’s also the 14U Babe Ruth World Series titles in 2007, 2009 and 2019.

Woods likes to say, “Players win games. Coaches do not.”

Five of his players have made the major leagues, including Cody Bellinger of the Chicago Cubs. There have been 32 of Woods’ players drafted or played professionally; 52 have played at Division 1 colleges and more than 130 have played collegiately on some level.

His dedicated and loyal staff includes volunteer, junior varsity and freshmen coaches and a nucleus of longtime assistants who have generously supported his coaching efforts from the beginning.

Woods was inducted into the Chandler Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. He has received many coach-of-the-year honors, including being named the Arizona Baseball Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2003, 2004 and 2011, the Arizona Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2004 and a similar regional honor multiple times.

Woods has served as Chairman of the AZBCA Hall of Fame committee as a board member, focused on rankings and all-star Selections, since 2003.

Woods retired from teaching in 2021 but continues to coach the Huskies. His accomplishments came with the support of his wife 33 years, Ellen, and his children, Chelsea and Connor.

Woods joins several other Arizonans in the NHSBCA Hall of Fame, including Eric Kibler, Art Griffith, Ron Davini, Jerry Dawson and  Tom Succow.

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