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Scott Berry is in his fifth year as the associate head coach, sixth year serving as the pitching coach and eighth season overall on the Southern Miss baseball staff. Berry, who was promoted to his current position in 2003, also continues working with the catchers, has recruiting responsibilities and assists with the program's camps and clinics. Prior to the 2003 season, he served as the team's hitting coach and worked with the team's catchers and outfielders. Southern Miss had an All-American pitcher for four-straight years from 2003-06, tying TCU for the second-longest streak in the nation and that is a credit to the job Berry has done. Last season the Golden Eagle pitching staff posted a 3.79 ERA and had three pitchers with seven or more wins. Southern Miss Pitchers fanned 416 batters and only walked180 while opposing hitters hit .261. RHP Ryan Belanger earned All-Conference honors and J.R, earned a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman team. In 2006, he coached his fourth-straight closer to All-American honors as Daniel Best posted a 6-2 record with a 2.22 ERA and tied the school single-season record with 13 saves. Best also earned All-American distinction in 2005, when he recorded 11 saves with a 3-0 record and an 0.46 ERA. He was a finalist for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award in 2005 and was drafted in the 14th round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft by Kansas City. Two of Berry's pitchers, Ryan Belanger and Cliff Russum, registered eight wins last season and the team's ERA improved from 5.13 in 2005 to 4.80 last season. Southern Miss struck out 416 batters and walked only 211. Catcher Kevin Coker earned All-Conference USA honors and senior Scott Massey also was drafted in the 24th round by Pittsburgh. In 2005, Patrick Ezell, the Conference USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year, led the starters with seven wins against just three losses, while Matt Caire followed with a 6-3 record. Relief pitcher Tyler Perrett led the way with a 5-0 record in 24 appearances. Catcher Brad Willcutt, one of the best to ever play behind the dish at Southern Miss, was selected as a third-team All-American as a senior and was drafted in the 27th round by Milwaukee. In 2004, two of Berry's pitchers finished with eight or more wins and four finished with six or more wins. The staff posted 468 strikeouts and only 224 walks. Senior Austin Tubb was named to several All-American teams, the CoSIDA Academic All-American team and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. Senior Anthony DeWitt was named to the Conference USA second team and was drafted by the Houston Astros. Freshman Patrick Ezell was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, and fellow freshman Mike Cashion was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team as well as the C-USA All-Tournament team. In his first year as the pitching coach in 2003, Berry worked with a staff that produced four hurlers with eight-or-more victories and a sparkling 3.45 ERA, the top in Conference USA. That staff recorded 460 strikeouts, walked just 219, and limited opponents to a .257 batting average. Austin Tubb was named to the NCBWA All-American team and Bob McCrory was named to the All-CUSA team. When Berry mentored the Golden Eagle hitters, fans saw the batting average improve from .279 during the 2001 season to a .304 average in 2002. The Golden Eagles had seven players hit .300 or better and three players with 40 or more RBIs. And even with Berry working primarily in other areas, that hitting success carried over to the 2003 season when Southern Miss hitters compiled a .319 batting average, with eight players finishing at .300 or better. Golden Eagle hitters banged out 89 home runs and 142 doubles. After completing an unbelievable four-year stint as the head coach at Meridian Community College from 1997-2000, including two trips to the National Junior College World Series, Berry rejoined his mentor, Corky Palmer, at Southern Miss prior to the 2001 season. A native of Neosho, Mo., he compiled an impressive record of 185-58, including two seasons of 50 wins or more. During his four-year tenure at Meridian, Berry's squad spent the entire time in the top 10 of the national polls. He had over 25 players sign NCAA Division I scholarships and currently has nine former players in the professional ranks. For his efforts, Berry was honored as a three-time Region 23 Coach of the Year, three-time district coach of the year, three-time Louisville Slugger Coach of the Year Award and twice named Diamond Sports ABCA Region Coach of the Year. In 2000, Meridian finished fifth in the nation with a 46-19 record and took its second trip under Berry to the National Junior College World Series. The program made its first trip to the college world series under Berry in 1998, when they posted a 52-12 record and ended the season as the No. 5 team in the nation. His first season, 1997, saw his squad ranked as the top team in the country from the preseason poll until the final regular season poll. That team posted a 50-8 record and advanced to the district finals before their season ended. Berry's first stint with Palmer started in 1991, when he was hired as an assistant coach at Meridian. After a six-year tenure as the assistant coach, he took over the reins of the Meridian program, when Palmer returned to Southern Miss to join Hill Denson's staff. He completed his bachelor's degree in secondary education with an emphasis in physical education from Southwest Missouri State University in 1986 and also received his master's degree from SMSU in 1989 with a degree in secondary education with an emphasis in administration. His collegiate career began at Crowder College, where he was a two-time all-region selection as a catcher and was named the team's most valuable player as a sophomore. Berry was forced to end his playing career early with a back injury. He spent the last two years of his undergraduate tenure as a student assistant at SMSU. He, and his wife, Laura, have two children, Garren, and Kathryn Grace. Laura received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Southern Miss in speech communication. He is the son of Marilyn Berry and the late James Berry of Neosho, Mo. |
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