Hall of Fame AC Flora coach leaving to jump-start area charter school’s sports
Andy Hallett is leaving the A.C. Flora High baseball program after almost three decades as head coach.
According to multiple local sources, Hallett will be the new athletic director and baseball coach at Midlands STEM, a public charter school in Winnsboro. The New York native will finish the year out with A.C. Flora before taking over Midlands STEM for the 2026-27 school year.
Hallett has told his players of the decision. A press conference will happen Saturday at Midlands STEM next week to introduce him as the school’s new athletic director and baseball coach.
The move is somewhat of a surprise because of what he has built at A.C. Flora, and his new school will definitely need a jump-start. Midlands STEM is a Class A school and competes in Region 2-A with CA Johnson, Lewisville, Lamar, Lee Central and Great Falls. Midlands STEM’s baseball team is 2-12 on the season.
But the school, which is for ages 4K through 12th grade, has just upgraded its facilities and moved into a 46,000-square-foot building in 2024. The school also is in the process of building an on-campus baseball field.
Currently, Midlands STEM fields teams for boys and girls basketball, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, baseball and softball.
Midlands STEM has an enrollment of 250 students with 66 in grades 9-11, according to the 45-day ADM numbers that were used for 2026-28 S.C. High School League realignment.
The hire is a massive one for Midlands STEM as Hallett has established himself as one of the state’s best coaches since taking over the Falcons program in the 1997-98 school year.
Hallett won his 600th game as Falcons coach on March 31 and built the program into a powerhouse, winning seven state championships, including three straight from 2012-14. No team above the Class A level had won three baseball titles in a row before the Falcons did it.
This year’s Flora squad is 17-5 heading into Friday’s game against Mountain View Prep and has a chance to make a deep run in the Class 4A playoffs. The Falcons are tied for first with York in the Region 3-4A standings and the two teams play each other next week.
Hallett is the fourth active coach in S.C. high school baseball with 600 wins or more (all in South Carolina), joining Gilbert’s Ashley Burnett, Dorman’s Jack Jolly and Indian Land’s Hal Bagwell. Most of Bagwell’s wins came in North Carolina.
Hallett is part of this year’s S.C. Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame class and will be inducted this spring.
