By Robert Wilson
Keith Case lived, played and coached baseball for the first 51 years of his life in Mississippi. Now, the 62-year-old Case is coming back to the ‘Sip.
Case has been named the head baseball coach at Simpson Academy, replacing Kelly Greer.
Case grew up in Tyrus community, played baseball, basketball, and football at Monticello High, graduated from Mississippi State, and got a masters from William Carey. He coached at Manchester Academy for three seasons, Jackson Academy for three seasons (winning a state championship), Purvis High for four seasons, and at Copiah-Lincoln Community College for 21 seasons (winning four Region 23 championships and two national fourth-place finishes) before he left for Texas in 2013.
Case was the head baseball coach at Wharton County Junior College in Wharton, Texas, about an hour southwest of Houston, for seven seasons, then the athletic director for the past three seasons.
When Greer resigned, several of the players he coached at Co-Lin who played at Simpson and have kids in the Simpson baseball program reached out to Case.
“They asked if I would be interested when the job came open,” Case said. “We were already planning on moving back to be closer to the family. Simpson was really good to me when I was at Co-Lin. I sent in an application and was offered the job, which allows me to coach and be with family at the same time.
“We won Region 23 championships in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2005 and Simpson players played a big part of each of those teams. I have kept up with them because of the connections with a few of the players and their families. I always appreciated the loyalty that Simpson alumni have with the school.”
Case has had plenty of accomplishments, both individual and team, during his 38-year coaching career. He is a member of the Mississippi Community and Junior College Sports Hall of Fame, Co-Lin CC Athletic Hall of Fame, Region 23 Coach of the Year (four times), an all-star coach in MAIS, MHSAA and Texas Junior College and has 788 career junior college wins.
Case led Co-Lin to a fourth-place finishes in the National Junior College World Series in 2000 and 2005.
“The success that I’ve have had can be attributed to good players that bought into what we did,” Case said. “There’s not any magic, just hard work, and good players on and off the field. I look forward to working with the players and coaches at Simpson and developing new relationships that are so special between players and coaches. It may have been said before, but it is true, I am coaching young men first and baseball second.”
“Simpson Academy is extremely excited to have Coach Case lead our baseball program,” Simpson head of school Nick Lee said. “To have someone with collegiate experience as a head coach will be a tremendous addition to our students and school. Coach Case’s number one asset is his high character and his ability to not only build great baseball players, but also great men.”
“Coach Case is a teacher of the game and will also teach life lessons,” Simpson athletic director and football coach Todd Mangum said. “Coach Case wants not only good players, but better young men.”
Simpson returns eight starters from last year’s team, which finished with a 28-8 record and reached the MAIS Class 5A semifinals, losing to Magnolia Heights, which went on to win its sixth straight state championship and 11th over the past 12 seasons. The Cougars have a rich tradition in baseball but haven’t won a state title since winning three straight from 2004-2006. Many of those players went on to play for Case at Co-Lin.
“Coach Case was not only a great coach to me, but he was a great inspiration for me in my life,” said Chris Dunn, who helped Simpson to three straight state titles (1996-98) and played for Case for two years at Co-Lin (1999 and 2000) and whose son, Win, will be a freshman on this year’s team. “At the end of the day, baseball will run out for everyone. Coach Case always focused on becoming better people. Be on time, be organized, be responsible, and be dependable. I could not be more excited for my son to get to play for someone of his caliber. We have been blessed to have Keith Case.”
“Coach Case played a major role in shaping me as a player and more importantly as a man,” said Brett Duncan, who was a part of Simpson’s 1998 state championship team and played for Case at Co-Lin in 2000, and whose son, Braden, is a senior centerfielder at Simpson. “I am so excited my son and his teammates are going to have that same opportunity. It’s pretty neat how God has brought this full circle.”
“Coach Case was a major part of my development as a baseball player and an athlete,” said Simpson boys basketball coach Josh McNulty, a Simpson alumnus who played baseball for Case at Co-Lin and whose son, Sly, will be a freshman on this year’s Simpson baseball team. “He impacted my life more than any other coach. I wouldn’t have been a pro baseball player (McNulty played two years at William Carey then played minor league baseball for several years). It is so special for us to hire him at Simpson with my kids going to school there and where I went to school. Coach Case is exactly what we need, someone who knows baseball, but will also give our kids discipline and accountability needed to be successful in life. He instills that in you when you are around in him. I was an immature kid at Co-Lin, but Coach Case helped me tremendously.”
The key returnees are senior shortstop Barrett McKenney (led Simpson with a .436 batting average, a .772 slugging percentage, 11 doubles, 8 home runs, and 57 runs batted in last season), senior right fielder Gage Smith (hit .381), senior third baseman and Hinds Community College commitment Benjamin Kennedy (hit .344), senior centerfielder and Hinds CC commit Braden Duncan (led the team with a .503 on base percentage, 45 runs scored and 29 stolen bases and hit .327) and sophomore pitcher Hayes Algee (7-0 record, 1.59 earned run average).
“We are excited to have a coach that has coached successfully on multiple levels,” McKenney said. “We have a big senior class that is well experienced and ready to get to work. We plan to win it all and I think Coach Case can help us do that.”
“Coach Case has an outstanding record and I know myself and the rest of the players can’t wait to get started,” Braden Duncan said. “We want to win, and we think Coach Case gives us the best opportunity.”
Chris Dunn, Brett Duncan, Josh McNulty, and Paul Smith (son Spencer is a freshman second baseman-outfielder) played for Case at Co-Lin and will have sons of this year’s Simpson team.
Case and his wife Susan, a Jackson native, have been married for 36 years. Their oldest daughter, Macie Case Gregory, lives in the Hattiesburg area. She and her husband, Zach, have two daughters, Emmaline, 3, and Goldie, eight months. Their youngest daughter, Rassy, lives in North Carolina.
“It’s kind of full circle from where I started,” Case said. “I am very excited about being a part of the Simpson family.”
