Jody Long enters the 2024 softball season as the longest tenured and winningest head coach among Northeast Mississippi Community College’s 10 intercollegiate athletic programs.

Long helped build a powerhouse on the diamond alongside Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) and Northeast Sports Hall of Fame member David Carnell. The Tigers have qualified for the playoffs in 20 out of 22 complete seasons since transitioning from slow-pitch competition to fast-pitch in 2001.

His latest edition eclipsed 40 wins for the first time in program history. Northeast started the year with a school record 21-game winning streak, which included an unbeaten month of February.

The Tigers also returned to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll. Northeast was ranked as high as No. 10 in the entire country during its sensational 2023 campaign.

Long also captured another personal milestone with his 450th career victory. It came during game one of the Tigers’ home sweep of Mississippi Delta Community College on March 25th.

He is one of only three coaches in school history no matter the sport to win more than 450 contests. Long joins current Northeast president Dr. Ricky Ford (women’s basketball) and legendary men’s basketball headman Bonner Arnold.

Construction of The Plex gave Northeast softball with a true home field advantage for the first time ever. The Tigers have gone 75-18 through the first four seasons at its new state-of-the-art facility.

Long has instructed 20 total All-Americans with the most recent being Cassidy Duskin. She signed with the University of North Alabama after striking out 330 batters and winning 38 games in the circle over three seasons at Northeast.

He passed his friend and mentor, Carnell, to become the all-time winningest coach in program history, including both fast-pitch and slow-pitch games, in a 13-5 opening day win at Dyersburg State (Tenn.) Community College on February 10, 2017.

Another recent award winner under the direction of Long is Lizzy Van Manen, who was honored by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and Diamond Sports as the National Catcher of the Year. She wrapped up her playing career at Jacksonville State (Ala.) University.

Long’s Tigers are perennially successful in the classroom as well. They are annually recognized by both the NFCA and the NJCAA for maintaining an overall grade point average (GPA) above 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

A record 10 Tigers received all-division accolades while in 2015. Left-handed pitcher Chelsea Buntin was named the north division most valuable player (MVP) one season prior.

The New Albany native led the Tigers to top three finishes in both the state and regional tournaments in 2012. Northeast finished the season with a 32-19 record and posted a school-record for north division wins with 17.

Northeast’s highlight of 2012 came during its annual StrikeOut Cancer doubleheader. Jaisa Emerson threw a perfect game against Mississippi Delta while Erin Dixson followed that with a no-hitter in the nightcap.

Long took the reins of the program from Carnell in 2006 and kept Northeast moving in a positive direction. Northeast’s 2008 team secured its seventh division title in eight years with a 34-20 overall record.

After attending Northeast as a student and working as a manager for the baseball program under Northeast Hall of Fame coach and current vice president of student services Ray Scott, Long returned in the spring of 1997 to complete an internship through the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).

He joined the Northeast family full-time that summer as the director of the health and fitness center and as assistant director of student activities. Long soon added assistant softball coach to his list of responsibilities as well.

The Tigers won the north division championship for six consecutive years (2001-06) and twice hosted the state tournament in 2002 and 2004. They also advanced to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in 2003.

Long's ladies battled through the losers bracket of regionals in 2003 to clinch the title and punch a bid to nationals in Iowa. Northeast’s softball team played in every regional championship matchup from 2001-06.

Following the 2003 campaign, he was named NFCA Division II South Region Coach of the Year alongside Carnell. Long has also served as the president of the MACCC Softball Coaches Association and was named the All-Region/All-American Director through the NFCA in 2001.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and leisure management (ESLM) from Ole Miss and a master’s degree in education administration from the same institution in December 2000.

Long is a member of the Booneville Church of Christ. He and his wife Wendi have three sons, Anderson, Thomas and Sullivan.