Richy Harrelson, “The Bazooka from Iuka,” took on the role as head coach of Northeast Mississippi Community College's baseball program beginning in 2016.

The 2024 season is his ninth as the Tigers’ commander-in-chief. Harrelson is coming off a historic season in which Northeast tied the program record for most wins in a single season and qualified for the double elimination portion of the region tournament.

The Tigers captured 33 wins, including 18 inside Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) play, during the 2023 campaign. Ten Northeast players signed with four-year institutions, which was the most at the conclusion of any season since 2008.

Postseason baseball has been well received by huge crowds at The Plex over the last two seasons. The Tigers swept Jones College in a best-of-three series last year in the opening round of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 Tournament.

Harrelson is within striking distance of his 200th victory at Northeast. He would become just the third coach in program history to reach that milestone joining current athletic director Kent Farris and Ray Scott.

His 2022 team featured the MACCC Pitcher of the Year in Colby Holcombe and his catcher Jackson Owen, who was the NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year and a Rawlings Gold Glove recipient.

Holcombe set the program record for most strikeouts in a single season with 115 while Owen caught 15 runners attempting to steal. The duo are now teammates at Mississippi State University.

Harrelson’s first Major League Baseball (MLB) draft pick at Northeast was Tyler Samaniego. He was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the first pick of the 15th round in 2021.

Samaniego was an all-conference first baseman and relief pitcher for the Tigers from 2018-19. He wrapped up his second full professional season at the Double-A level with the Altoona Curve in Pennsylvania.

Harrelson was alongside Farris for much of his success at Northeast, including in 2008 when the Tigers recorded a 32-18 record and finished as the division runner-up. That team also qualified for both the conference and region tournaments with Harrelson.

Following a successful first stint at Northeast, Harrelson accepted a position at the University of Southern Mississippi and guided them to their first-ever NCAA Super Regional in 2009 after downing host Georgia Tech to win the NCAA Atlanta Regional.

The Golden Eagles continued their surge with a sweep of the University of Florida in the NCAA Gainesville Super Regional to advance to the NCAA Men’s College World Series (MCWS) for the first time in school history.

Harrelson and the Golden Eagles did not fare as well in Omaha, Neb., with losses to perennial powers the University of Texas (7-6) and University of North Carolina (11-4) to end their campaign at legendary Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium with a 40-26 record.

Magic struck again in 2010 when Southern Miss ran the tables through the Conference USA (C-USA) Tournament in Houston, Texas. They won the championship over host Rice (Texas) University by a score of 7-4 to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Harrelson watched over the Golden Eagles' outfielders, hitters and coached first base. He instructed Chad Caillet, who topped C-USA for three straight years in several offensive statistics, including walks, hit by pitches, on-base percentage, RBIs, sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies and runs scored.

Prior to his 2008 season with the Tigers, Harrelson was a successful coach at the prep level. He helped Lafayette County High School compile a 105-80 record during his time in Oxford.

The Commodores won 14 postseason contests under the tutelage of Harrelson and also captured the 2006 Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A state title at Trustmark Park, which is the home stadium of the Southern League's Mississippi Braves.

During his final year at Lafayette County, Harrelson led the Commodores to a 23-11 record. They reached the MHSAA playoffs for a fourth straight year and lost to Neshoba Central High School in the Class 4A quarterfinals.

Harrelson introduced himself to the Hill Country baseball community during his prep career at Iuka High School and then Tishomingo County High School after consolidation merged three local schools together. He placed himself among the best in the nation while a Chieftain and Brave from 1989-92.

He is still listed in the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Record Book in the categories of career hits (236), career RBIs (226) and career pitching wins (55).

Harrelson continued his playing days by signing a scholarship to enroll at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). He saw time as a third baseman and pitcher for the Rebels from 1993-96.

Ole Miss won two Mayor’s Trophy games over rival Mississippi State University at historic Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson while Harrelson starred with the Rebels.

Harrelson was part of the 1995 Rebel team that won a then-school record 40 games and earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid since 1977. Ole Miss finished on the verge of its first MCWS appearance since 1972 with a second place finish to host Florida State University at the NCAA Atlantic I Regional.

Harrelson also played one season in the prestigious Cape Cod League in Massachusetts during the summer of 1994 and one year as a professional in 1997.

He returned home in 2011-12 to once again assist Farris and the Tigers. He was an integral part of the 2013 team that won the north division championship for the first time in 21 years and captured its opening round playoff series against Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

Northeast hosted the double elimination state tournament one year later in 2014. Approximately 1,250 fans packed the seating areas of Harold T. White Field to watch the Tigers face Jones College and East Central Community College as part of seven games in three days.

He began his coaching career as an assistant with Ole Miss in 1997 before moving to Hillcrest Christian School in Jackson one year later.

Harrelson and his wife Hope have two children, Gage, who is serving as a manager for the men’s basketball program at Ole Miss, and Mary Cille.