PERKINSTON — Zach Allen has been named the 18th baseball coach in Mississippi Gulf Coast history, bringing his knowledge of this recruiting area and the relationships with coaches here and throughout the state to bear on building a championship baseball program.
“I’m ready to get going and get this program back to the winning tradition it’s had,” Allen said. “I’m humbled and excited.”
“We are excited about the new era of MGCCC baseball,” Gulf Coast Dean of Athletics Steven Campbell said. “With this hire, we knew we wanted to hire someone who would have the support of our district and community, bring a unique brand of toughness to the program, and form relationships with the high school coaches and student-athletes in the state.”
After returning to Gulf Coast in 2021, his recruiting prowess helped turn the Bulldogs into one of the top hitting teams in the MACCC.
Shortstop Marc Stephens led the conference with a .435 average including a 27-game hitting streak in 2024. The Bulldogs were fourth in the MACCC in 2024 with 23 home runs in conference play, and Dom Jackson finished fifth with 13 homers.
In 2023, the Bulldogs finished second in the MACCC with 54 home runs and saw two Bulldogs among the nation leaders in homers.
“We’re going to be a very mentally tough team from the get-go,” Allen said. “We’re going to be fast on the basepaths and throw strikes. We’re going to compete hard and build a championship culture. In this league, it’s going to take that, getting guys to buy in mentally and be tough on the baseball field. Our players will understand the grind and what it takes to win championships at the community college level.”
Allen, a Pascagoula native, was an assistant at Gulf Coast in 2019, when the Bulldogs went 29-18 and finished fourth at the Region 23 Tournament. He is known as a proven recruiter with a championship resume.
“Recruiting is the lifeblood of the program,” he said. “If you’re not doing that at a high level and not bringing in good players, it’s going to be tough to win. We’re going to really focus on keeping the Coast guys here and then moving throughout the state.”
He played on the Jones team that advanced to the NJCAA Division II Baseball Championship final in 2011. He was an assistant coach on the 2016 team that won the title, where he concentrated on infielders, hitters and baserunners.
He played college baseball at Jones, where the Bobcats finished as national runners-up, Point Loma Nazarene and William Carey. Allen is a graduate of Pascagoula High, and he has a bachelor’s in general studies from William Carey and a master’s in sports management from Southern Miss.
“I appreciate Dr. Graham, Dr. Taylor and Dean Campbell for the opportunity,” Allen said. “I’m excited and ready to get going.”
He is married to the former Devin Easterling, who was a Gulf Coast cheerleader. She’s a nurse in Wiggins, and their daughter Elizabeth is 4, and their son Easton is 1.
For more information on MGCCC’s 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
This post originally posted at https://www.mgcccbulldogs.com/landing/index by MGCCC Athletics
