Before a practice on Wednesday, one Haskell Harmony Grove High School player came up to the coaches in the dugout and said, “Hey. I just saw a guy from Malvern making his way down here. I think he’s here to scout us.”
Harmony Grove had played Malvern the day before, defeating the Leopards 11-6 in a nonconference game. But unbeknown to players from either team, the game had featured two brothers.
Chance and Chase Cleveland are assistant coaches for Malvern and Harmony Grove, respectfully, but never mentioned to their guys the fact that they are brothers.
“There is no need to focus on that nonsense out there,” Chance said. “Coaches can talk about it, he and I can talk about it, and our dad can talk about it, but when it comes down to it, we want to focus on the task at hand, follow the process and play the game.”
Malvern had a 6-4 lead going into the top of the seventh inning, but Harmony Grove scored seven runs to take the lead and the win.
“It was a back-and-forth thing. They had us for a long time, and we crept back into it,” Chance said. “[In the] seventh inning, we had a two-run lead, but we didn’t want the baseball.
“It wasn’t a good situation, and to their credit, they put the ball in play, and we couldn’t stop it.”
Harmony Grove, which currently holds a 14-2 overall record and a 6-0 conference record, will host Malvern (10-9-1, 3-1) on Thursday in a conference game.
“I enjoy it,” Chance said of playing against his brother. “To be honest, I don’t care who is in the other dugout. I want to kick their tail.
“It is fun when you know the guy, when you have a relationship, whether it is brothers, friends or whoever it is. For our case, it is both.”
“Absolutely, whoever is in the opposing dugout, it truly doesn’t matter,” Chase said. “You always try to play the game the right way, but it does add a little bit of interest to it, personally.
“But you aren’t trying to communicate that to your players. You want them to play and do what they love, and hopefully, they are competing just like every day.”
The game was originally scheduled for April 17 but was moved after the game against Jessieville High School was postponed.
Longtime Dollarway High School baseball coach Greg Cleveland is their dad, and he said he couldn’t be prouder of the coaches his sons have become.
“One thing you can’t ever measure is the heart, the drive and the intelligence …,” Greg said. “The will to succeed is something you can’t measure.
“I couldn’t be prouder of either one of them. If you love what you are doing, you’ll never work a day in your life, but if you hate it, it is going to be a drudgery.”
Chase’s first coaching job was at Hermitage High School, and his very first game was against his dad.
“So his first win was beating his dad,” Greg said. “I have been fortunate enough to make sure to see them coach in all the sports.
“I think they do a good job communicating to their players. Right now, they are both assistants, but they are learning their craft, and I have no doubt that both of them are going to be successful.”
Chance said having their dad watching them does put a little more pressure on them.
“When he is there, we want to do well,” Chance said. “We tell our players all the time: ‘You are playing for two names, one on the front and one the back.
“You want to represent them in the right way. The Cleveland name — I know we both want to represent it well.”
Chase and Chance played baseball at Watson Chapel High School in Pine Bluff, as Greg wanted to be their parent more than he wanted to be their coach.
“He coached his teams in summer ball, but he never really tried to push us to come play for him,” Chance said.
Chase graduated from Chapel in 2006, and Chance graduated in 2008. They played one year together at the high school level, when Chase was a senior and Chance was a sophomore.
Chase started his college career at Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Mississippi, before transferring to Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, for a semester. He finished at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia.
“He has great character and genuinely cares about these guys,” Harmony Grove head coach Brandon Mynhier said of Chase. “He played infield in college, and the work he puts in with our infielders makes them top-notch.”
Chance played two years of college baseball at Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri, and received his degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
“It has been fun playing for some good coaches,” Chance said.
Chance is only in his second year of coaching, having originally worked in the car business.
“It wasn’t providing the fulfillment I was seeking,” Chance said.
“And I tried to tell you that, too,” Chase said.
Chance is now an assistant under head coach Matthew Weigand at Malvern.
“He is a phenomenal coach,” Chance said. “We go around, and we talk to other high school and college coaches and try to pick their brains.
“I think the best quote I got was from coach Kirk Bock in Bryant: ‘If you are not learning, innovating what you are doing, you might as well hang it up. You’re done.’
“I’m constantly learning. I love it.”
Chase has been coaching for four years and is also an assistant for football, having spent time under the legendary Jimmy “Red” Parker and now Paul Calley.
“I was lucky to be here during [Parker’s] last few years,” Chase said. “[He taught me] how to really treat and handle your players. …
“And now that Coach Calley is here, too, it is hard to beat.
“I’m just trying to learn as much as possible and get better. It is just a great opportunity, and I am very fortunate.”
Chase is married to Rachel, a seventh-grade teacher at Harmony Grove. She is also an assistant basketball girls coach under Chris Smith. Chase and Rachel have one son, Dash, who just turned 3.
Chance is married to Alex, and they have two boys, Cannon, 3, and Cruze, 6 months.
“We have been together a long time,” Chance said. “[We were talking about] how much [our wives] have sacrificed to let us do what we want to do.
“I have to give her all the props in the world.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.