After serving five years as assistant baseball coach at East Central Community College, Michael Avalon is now in charge of his own program.

    Avalon was recently selected head baseball coach at Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorhead.

    ECCC head baseball coach Neal Holliman hired Avalon when he took over the Warrior program in 2006. Holliman praised his former assistant and said Avalon is well prepared to be a head coach.    

    “I cannot begin to say what coach Avalon has meant to East Central baseball and East Central as an institution,” said Holliman. “I don’t know of anyone on campus that didn’t hold coach Avalon in very high regard including myself. There are not many people you run across in this world that are as loyal and willing to sacrifice like coach Avalon did for the growth of our  program. He will always be a close friend and I will always be appreciative of his efforts. This is a great opportunity for coach Avalon and his family and I know he is ready for this next step in his career and will build a program that Mississippi Delta will be proud to call theirs.”

    Avalon, whose main duties at East Central included serving as pitching coach, camp coordinator/instructor and recruiter, helped the Warriors capture the MACJC State Baseball Championship in 2007. The 2010 squad finished state runners-up with a 39-20 mark. The 2011 squad finished third in the MACJC South Division and qualified for post-season play en route to a 28-20 mark.

    Prior to joining the ECCC staff in 2006, Avalon was a graduate assistant at the University of West Alabama during the 2006 and 2005 campaigns, serving as pitching coach, recruiter and camp coordinator. His duties also included scouting, field maintenance and preparation, and fundraising. In addition, he was responsible for monitoring the academic progress of student athletes and providing assistance in advising.

    Avalon helped lead the 2005 Tigers to the Gulf South Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional before finishing with a 45-19 record. The squad was also recognized as having one of the top pitching staffs in the conference. UWA finished second in total pitching under Avalon’s direction. The 2005 team also achieved a top 25 national ranking all season and was ranked as high as fourth. The Tigers completed the 2005 season ranked 19th by Collegiate America.

    Success continued for the 2006 squad, which finished conference runners-up and participated in the South Central Regional en route to a 42-22 mark.

    Avalon’s coaching experience also includes stints as head coach of the West Alabama American Senior League team in 2005 and as an assistant of the West Alabama Junior League squad the same year. He led the Forest Hill Senior League team in 2002. He has also worked several baseball camps in Alabama and Mississippi.

    A standout pitcher, Avalon was a member of the 2004 UWA squad and played the previous season at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn. He was also a two-year standout at Holmes Community College in Goodman, where he was named to All-Region 23 and MACJC All-State second teams.