BASEBALL 2013 - Meridian Community College

At the dedication were Smith, Sudduth, Williams and Berry.
BUILDING ON TRADITION
Smith William Field House dedication conjures memories
It’s a far cry from the pickup truck that once held the team’s gear to the
newly-constructed 4,444 square foot state-of-the-art baseball field
house that was dedicated in October of 2012 at Scaggs Field.
Billy Harold Smith and Terry Williams, two individuals who helped to
lay the foundation for the storied MCC baseball program, were honored
when MCC dedicated its new baseball field house in their honor.
The field house is located adjacent to an all-new batting practice facility
and hosts a large 40-station, multi-media equipped locker room area;
shower, restroom and laundry facilities; coaches’ offices; a trophy room
and a viewing deck overlooking Scaggs Field.
The concept for the facility – a building overlooking Scaggs Field with
the dugout connected to the locker room, major league style - was created
by MCC President Dr. Scott Elliott and brought to fruition by local architect
Arjen Lagendijk and his assistant, Don Delaney. Much of the labor
for the project was supplied by students in MCC’s Construction Trades and
Industrial Maintenance Programs under the direction of Olin Thomas and
Jim Miles, respectively.
President Elliott said that Smith and Williams
were well deserving of having the building
named in their honor by the MCC Board of
Trustees. Williams, as a student and employee,
has enjoyed a 41-year association with
MCC. He was a player on the inaugural Eagle
team in 1970 and later became an assistant
coach and then head coach for one season,
chalking up a 21-6 record. He then became
the college’s physical plant director, now having
responsibility for the maintenance of about 700,000-square feet of
building space.
“Terry has done a superlative job for the college over the years,” Elliott
said. “He plays a vital role in the college’s operations. On the baseball
front, he has been a part of the Eagle legacy as a player, a coach, and
an individual who helped to develop our baseball facilities through the
years.”
As for Smith, Elliott characterized him as “the father of Eagle baseball.”
“MCC had three other outstanding coaches (Bill May, Quitman Lockley
and Williams) who came before Billy Harold,” Elliott said, “but Billy Harold
to this day has the longest tenure of any Eagle coach at 10 years. He was
the first MCC coach to lead a team into the playoffs; the first coach to
record a 30-win season; helped to develop an on-campus ballpark; and
became the founding father of the Mississippi Junior College Baseball
All-Star game. He gave his heart and soul to Eagle baseball, paving the
way for a program that was to become nationally recognized under Corky
Palmer and Scott Berry. So, I think most people would agree that would
make Billy Harold essentially the father of our program.”
Field house
Dedication
4 2013 Eagle Baseball