just win, baby

It may not be part of the job description for the head coach at Meridian Community College, but winning championships has come to be expected there. Dillon Sudduth, a five-year assistant at MCC, is the Eagles’ new head coach, taking over a program that has made seven trips to the Junior College World Series, won 10 region titles, 12 Miss-Lou Conference titles and three MACJC state crowns. It’s a program that is expected to feature top talent. There are two MCC alumni playing in the majors — Cliff Lee and Tyler Moore. Two Eagles were drafted this year, and the first Mississippian picked in the draft, D.J. Davis of Stone County, was a Meridian signee. The school has also been a launching pad for coaches, such as Corky Palmer, Scott Berry and Russ McNickle. Mike Federico and Chad Caillett are on Berry’s staff at Southern Miss. Sudduth is replacing Chris Curry, who has taken an assistant job with Lane Burroughs (an MCC alum) at Northwestern State. It’s a small school in a modest Mississippi town, but the expectations at MCC are large.