Mike Kinnison has seen it all when it comes to baseball in the state of Mississippi.
He’s led teams to state championships during his high school coaching career, and he led the Delta State Statesmen to an NCAA Division II championship in 2004.
While he enjoys coaching at the college level, Kinnison still shares the same love for high school baseball that Newton County Cougar coaches, players and fans participate in every year.
“I love the game of baseball, and by the fact that you are here tonight, that’s something that we all share is our love for high school baseball,” Kinnison said at the Newton County High School Baseball First Pitch Dinner Thursday night. “I became a coach because that’s what I believe God wanted me to do.”
Kinnison was the keynote speaker at Newton County’s First Pitch Dinner in the high school cafeteria Thursday night. And he wanted to inspire the players to continue to compete and to buy into what the game of baseball is all about.
“The game never lets you go, and it teaches you so much,” Kinnison said. “It teaches you a lot about dealing with adversity.
“It’s a beautiful game. Nothing is prettier than seeing a well-manicured field. I love how baseball has its own rhythm and pace. We don’t have a clock. We have innings. And it defines a lot of who my heroes were growing up.”
Some of Kinnison’s favorite players were Nolan Ryan and Cal Ripken.
