Colton Caver is the new head baseball coach at Pascagoula High School.
Caver has been an assistant coach at Gulfport High for the past four seasons, helping guide the Admirals to the Class 6A state championship this past season. The Pascagoula/Gautier School Board approved the hiring at its monthly meeting Monday night.
“First of all it’s an honor and a privilege to become the head coach at a tradition-rich program like Pascagoula High and I’m proud to be a Panther,” Caver said, in an exclusive interview with 228Sports Monday night soon after he was approved for the job. “I’m excited because I’ve always considered Pascagoula to be one of the most successful programs in the state of Mississippi for many, many years.”
Caver is a 2012 graduate of Gulfport High where he was a standout on the diamond for the Admirals during his playing days. He went on to play junior college ball for a couple of seasons before completing his playing career with two seasons on the Mississippi College baseball team.
He started his coaching career off at East Mississippi Community College and then spent two years at St. Patrick before landing back at his alma mater under veteran head coach Jamie McMahon. “I’ve learned a lot from Coach Mac, and I feel like I’m ready for the challenge to be a head coach,” Caver continued. “It’s something guess I’ve wanted to do since my junior year at Gulfport.”
Caver becomes just the third head coach in the past 40 seasons at PHS, and first non-alumnus of the school in over four decades. The current post at the helm of the Panther program had been open for about six weeks, since former head coach Richie Tillman retired at the end of the 2023 season.
Tillman spent 13 seasons leading his alma mater on the diamond, including winning one state title in 2012.
Tillman’s tenure came on the heels of an almost 27-year stretch for Johnny Olsen leading Pascagoula as a head coach. Olsen won a state championship in 1996, and resigned suddenly in the middle of the 2010 season. Tillman took over in 2011.
Olsen took over from former PHS standout Donnie Davis in 1982, after the Panthers won the state championship in 1983 with Olsen as an assistant coach.
“I’m very aware of what Richie and Coach Olsen accomplished and I realize what they have established over the past four decades at Pascagouula,” Caver concluded. “My goal is to continue what they built and maintain it and hopefully leave my mark on the program just as they both did.”
Caver is expected to hit the ground running immediately with the Summer program with the Panthers as they prepare for the 2024 season.
