Starkville, Miss. – A former standout for the Northeast Mississippi Community College baseball program is celebrating a title from the toughest league in the United States.
Will Coggin is an assistant coach for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season championship team at Mississippi State University.
"We're always excited for our guys that have been part of the family," said Tigers head coach Richy Harrelson. "The job he's doing as a coach is just unbelievable."
Coggin is in his second stint as a member of the Bulldogs' staff. He was also an assistant under current headman John Cohen from 2009-12 before leaving for a position at St. Johns River State (Fla.) College.
His return home to the Magnolia State could not have come at a better time. Mississippi State clinched the SEC crown after a three-game sweep of the University of Arkansas on the last weekend prior to the postseason.
Coggin and the Bulldogs entered the final day of action in a stalemate with Texas A&M University for both the SEC West Division and the overall league championships.
But the Aggies lost to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and Mississippi State won its finale at historic Dudy Noble Field against the Razorbacks to claim the title outright for the first time since 1989.
"I was just more happy and proud for the people that were involved more so than anything I've done," Coggin said. "It's all about the players. I was just incredibly excited for them just because of how hard they worked in the fall and how good of human beings they are."
The Bulldogs are far from done this year. Mississippi State enters the annual SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium as the number one seed of the entire 12-team field.
Coggin's crew are a consensus top-three team nationally and are No. 1 in some rankings, including the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Perfect Game USA polls.
Experts widely expect the Bulldogs to be a national seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Mississippi State as such would host a regional and potentially a super regional as well.
"The whole year, one of our main things has been running the marathon," said Coggin. "This is just a stop along our path to our end goal. We just have to stay humble and stay continue to improve every single day."
Coggin was an outstanding athlete at Booneville High School prior to his tenure at Northeast. He participated in the Northeast Mississippi Coaches Association for Better Baseball (NEMCABB) All-Star Game following a stellar three years as a starter for the Blue Devils.
He starred for future Northeast Sports Hall of Fame inductee Ray Scott during his pair of seasons with the Tigers. Coggin was the primary shortstop for his hometown college from 2005-06.
Coggin was awarded with Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College (MACJC) All-State honors during each of his campaigns after batting .333 as a freshman and .446 one year later. He led the Tigers to 22 victories in 2006, which was its most wins in five seasons.
"I really enjoyed my two years at Northeast," Coggin said. "Coach Scott is a great man. I thought it was a great learning experience because I don't know if I was ready for major Division I baseball. Northeast really prepared me to come to Mississippi State."
Coggin concluded his career with the Bulldogs and the winningest coach in SEC history Ron Polk. He was part of the 2007 Mississippi State squad that qualified for the NCAA College World Series at legendary Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.
He presently is solely responsible for the Bulldogs' catchers and also focuses on the hitters, including setting plans for batting practice. Coggin also coordinates all of Mississippi State's summer and winter youth camps.