CALEDONIA — East Mississippi Community College assistant Chase Reeves is leaving the college ranks to become a head coach for the first time in his career. Caledonia named him as the new head coach of the Cavaliers this week, putting him in charge of a program with plenty of talent at the junior varsity and varsity levels.
Reeves spoke to The Dispatch about the adjustments necessary as he transitions from the junior college ranks to becoming a head coach – now at the high school level – for the first time in his career, especially in an area rich with baseball history and talent.
“It means a lot,” Reeves said. “I’ve been at the college level for 10 years, and came in straight out of playing. I’ve loved every second of it, and it’s a whole different animal at that level. Getting to lead a program and especially developing young men.”
When Reeves thinks about his baseball experience, he looks to his mentors and the lasting relationships that helped shape him into who he is today.
Reeves knows a thing or two about building a program. He has 10 years of coaching experience himself, helping Brett Kimbrel reach the playoffs five times in six years in Scooba, but he also came up learning the game from a local legend in Hamilton.
“Lewis Earnest was my coach in high school, and the biggest thing for him was building a foundation and a culture that kids wanted to be a part of,” Reeves said when discussing his appointment and the task ahead of him. “The fundamentals were going to be right, and to play at a high level in college, you have to have God-given ability, but knowing the fundamentals and working on the small details of the game, that’s what we were taught in high school.”
Earnest was the head coach at Hamilton for 26 years, winning three state championships with the Lions before retiring in 2020. Hamilton’s baseball field was named in his honor in 2024. His standards and focus on fundamentals stuck with Reeves throughout his successful playing career at the high school and college level, and he has remained a mentor to the young coach since he took his first swings at Blue Mountain College more than 10 years ago.
“I was talented, but I was a step ahead of a lot of kids because that’s what he demanded of us at such a young age,” Reeves said. “That’s the biggest thing for me with a program, you can always tell who has it and who doesn’t.”
Back to basics
Teaching the fundamentals will be key for Reeves, who will be responsible for the varsity team but will also be mentoring and developing players from the time they get into middle school.
Reeves takes over a Caledonia team that won a lot of games under head coach Brad Hamilton, but hasn’t been able to mount a deep playoff run. The Cavaliers will return several starters next year, with 11 members of the Class of 2026 back for another run. Ace Reid Garrett returns with three years of starting experience under his belt and is one prospect Reeves is already familiar with from his work scouting talent in the area.
“I’ve watched them play a good bit, I don’t know a ton because when I did watch them, I was typically scouting specific players,” Reeves said. “I know about Reid, obviously, and Chandler Cobb, I’ve seen a good bit. I know the young kids are supposed to be talented too. From what I’ve heard, this is a talented group.”
Coming from just up the road in Hamilton and coaching in Scooba, Reeves has seen and recruited plenty of players from the Golden Triangle area. He knows the talent in Caledonia, but he also knows there is talent across the board in the Cavaliers’ new Class 5A division. New Hope, Columbus and West Point are now district rivals, as are North Half champions Lafayette, and it’s going to take a high level of play for the Cavaliers to continue winning.
“It’s a talent-rich region,” Reeves said. “I’ve been at EMCC for six years, and we’ve had a ton of kids from this area come and play for us. We’ve been in the postseason the last five years, and a lot of that is from having Golden Triangle kids. They grow up playing with or against each other, and it’s going to be a dogfight. It’s always a good area for talent with a good brand of baseball. That’ll be fun for the community and folks who want to come watch.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
