Braves All-Star Austin Riley stirs special memories for high school coach Mark Monaghan

When Austin Riley made his MLB debut for the Atlanta Braves on May 15, 2019, then-DeSoto Central High School baseball coach Mark Monaghan was getting ready for his third state championship game.

The games would overlap, though Riley’s debut started just a bit earlier, and Monaghan noticed when the crowd suddenly erupted in cheers.

Monaghan, thinking that the fans were excited about the Jaguars’ championship game, had no idea that all the attention was drawn to a different ballpark — SunTrust (now Truist) Park in Atlanta — and not Trustmark Park in Pearl, site of the state championship series.

“My daughter and a couple of other kids run into the dugout hollering, ‘Austin just hit a home run!’” Monaghan said. “I thought that was really neat.”

Though Monaghan missed Riley’s MLB debut, he saw Riley play a month later. His first thoughts?

“He absolutely belonged,” Monaghan said.

It was a full-circle moment for Monaghan, who coached Riley from 2012 to 2015. Behind Riley’s play, DeSoto Central won its first state championship game in 2015.

BIG FINISHES: Final Memphis area high school baseball rankings for 2023 season

Now, the Memphis-born professional has developed into a rising star for arguably the best team in baseball: the Braves have MLB’s best record at 60-29. Riley is one of eight members of the Braves selected for the All-Star Game on Tuesday in Seattle. Riley has a batting average of .266 with 16 home runs and 44 RBIs.

Riley, who was selected No. 41 overall in 2015 MLB Draft, also made last season’s All Star team replacing Nolan Arenado after being dubbed the biggest snub that season.

Additionally, Riley signed a 10-year, $212 million contract extension on Aug. 1, 2022, marking it the largest contract in Braves history.

At DeSoto, Monaghan noticed Riley’s potential was “immediate.”

“He was the most developed and skilled player as a sophomore that I’ve ever seen,” Monaghan said. “It was evident early on that he was going to be a special player.”

Riley doesn’t show much emotion and handles the everyday business of being a professional athlete without making too much noise off the field.

“His steadiness is something that separates him,” Monaghan said.

With his talent evident early in his career, Riley found opposing teams had the mindset of letting anyone but Riley beat them. Riley developed a mental toughness that would suit him well in the MLB.

“Even though everyone had him as a target, Austin would find a way,” Monaghan said. “That’s what makes him so special, and his talent was really on another level.”

With a close-knit family and tight inner circle, Riley learned how to lean on the right people, which resulted in his good nature.

“He’s the one that shows up every day with (all the intangibles) already,” Monaghan said. “That’s where I realized early on that he was a guy that I can count on with his consistency every day.”

Monaghan, who in May left DeSoto Central to become baseball coach at Starkville, keeps in contact with the Braves’ star and reflects on how much the former Jaguar has grown.

“He looked like a major league baseball player since I let him go in 2015 and he was ready for that moment and ready ever since,” Monaghan said.

Reach sports writer Jerry Jiang at JJiang@gannett.com or on Twitter @j_jiang30

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Austin Riley’s high school coach recalls DeSoto Central days together