POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The awards are still coming in for the Pearl River baseball team after its National Championship season. The American Baseball Coaches Association recently named Wildcat hitting coach and recruiting coordinator, Slater Lott, the NJCAA DII Assistant Coach of the Year.

“What a tremendous and well-deserved honor for Slater,” head coach Michael Avalon said. “We are very thankful to have Slater and his family. Since day 1, he has been a tireless worker and wanted to do his part in helping this program take the next step. Slater continues to invest in our program, but more importantly, he invests in our student-athletes and helps them reach their potential. I am extremely thankful for all he does for our program, but also very appreciative of his friendship.”

Lott will be honored at the 2023 ABCA Convention in Nashville on Jan. 6.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Lott earns the selection after helping lead one of the best offensive units in the country in 2022. The Wildcats finished the year sixth in the country in homers (85), eighth in runs (519), eighth in stolen bases (153), ninth in slugging percentage (.551), ninth in hits (583), twelfth in on-base percentage (.449) and twelfth in batting average (.336).

In Pearl River’s remarkable postseason run, the Wildcats scored a whopping 118 runs for an average of 11.8 runs per game.

Since Lott joined the coaching staff as the recruiting coordinator, PRCC’s recruiting classes have been ranked as some of the best in the country each season, according to Perfect Game.

FILLING THE TROPHY CABINET

The honor adds yet another piece of hardware to the collection that the Wildcats have already received this season.

Pearl River skipper Michael Avalon was named ABCA/ATEC National Coach of the Year, ABCA/ATEC Regional Coach of the Year and MACCC Coach of the Year.

Tate Parker (Gulfport; West Harrison) earned the ABCA/Rawlings DII Player of the Year and the NJCAA DII Player of the year recognitions. Parker was named an NJCAA All-American, becoming the first two-time honoree in program history. His teammate, Alex Perry (McComb; North Pike), was also named an All-American.

Parker, Perry and Gabe Broadus (Wilmer, Ala.; Faith Academy) were named to the All-Region 23 squads. Before claiming the program’s first National Championship, eight Wildcats earned All-MACCC selections. Parker and Broadus were named First Team. Perry, Ian Montz (Lafayette, La.; Acadiana), D.K. Donaldson (Gulfport; West Harrison) and Turner Swistak (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) earned Second Team selections. Cole Tolbert (Laurel; West Jones) and Leif Moore (Biloxi; St. Martin) were Honorable Mentions.

The Wildcats finished the year 45-11 overall after claiming the MACCC Championship — for a second consecutive year — and the Region 23 Tournament title. Pearl River capped the season with a 5-1 record in Enid, Oklahoma.

Despite falling in Game 1 of the Championship Series, PRCC rallied to out-score Madison 26-3 in the next two games to claim the 2022 NJCAA Division II National Championship in decisive fashion. With the 7-2 win in the deciding game, PRCC became just the second Mississippi program to win the NJCAA baseball national championship.

ABOUT ABCA

Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 13,000 members represent all 50 states and over 30 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth.

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