STARKVILLE — The Vols have a new head baseball coach, and the school didn’t have to look far for their man. Starkville Academy named Lee Berryhill as head coach in a special event on campus on Tuesday, staying in-house to fill the position.
Berryhill is a two-time Hall of Fame inductee, a member of both the Northeast Mississippi Baseball Coaches and Mississippi Association of Coaches Hall of Fames. His coaching career spans 30 years with stops at Wheeler, Eupora and East Webster before arriving at Starkville Academy to coach softball in 2020. He won two state championships in 17 years with Eupora, and five total state titles coaching both slow- and fast-pitch softball at East Webster.
“It’s a blessing to have somebody already at the school who is a proven winner, someone who is a Hall of Famer for coaching, and anytime you have someone like that there is an ease as you look for the next person to lead the program,” SA athletic director Greg Owen said. “We interviewed or had calls with about 30 or so applicants who inquired about the job, but when it came down to it it seemed like Coach Berryhill was the choice to lead the program.”
Owen confirmed that Berryhill will continue as softball coach as well as baseball coach, noting that was a prerequisite for him accepting the new position.
“It’s important to note his heart for what he does with our young ladies as well,” Owen told The Dispatch. “Before he did anything he wanted to make sure that he has the time and resources to continue what he is building with the softball program, and we’ve made it possible for him to do both.”
Wes Johnson was also announced as the pitching coach for the varsity team, adding even more years of coaching and playing experience to the staff.
“Again, another proven winner from the area, and it allows us to have a great pitching coach in Josh Reagan working with middle school kids and it also gives us Wes, both of whom pitched at Mississippi State,” Owen said. “We’ve got two former SEC pitchers leading our pitching staff from grades 7-12. We don’t take it for granted, we know we’re blessed.”
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