Collier picks up 600th win at ICC

Fulton, Miss. – With a 10-8 win over No. 2 Pearl River Sunday, Itawamba Community College's Rick Collier earned his 600th win as head coach of the Indians.

"It's all about the guys I've had," said Collier. "Every one of them that have played for me are a part of this 600, and they are special people to me. ICC is a great place to be, and 600 has been a fun time, but this is all about my former players." 

The former All-American baseball player at ICC (1988-89) and Delta State University (1990-91), Collier has won three Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) championships, two National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 titles and one NJCAA Super Regional championship and guided the Indians to 11-straight playoff appearances (2003-13) and made the playoffs in all but two seasons at the helm of ICC. 

His most recent championship was in 2019 when his Indians went 41-8-1 overall, 24-4 in conference play and earned a No. 2 ranking from the NJCAA. He was also named 2019 Coach of the Year by the MACCC. 

VIDEO: Coach Collier talks about 600 wins

In 2003, the Mantachie native led the Indians to an appearance in the NJCAA World Series and set a school record for most wins in a season (46) and most consecutive wins in a single season (22). He was also inducted into the Delta State Sports Hall of Fame that year.

In Collier's first 11 seasons, at least one of his players has committed or signed to play in the SEC as well as one DI signee and countless other players have continued their careers as student-athletes in all of his seasons as head coach of the Indians.

In addition, numerous players coached by Collier have been drafted and played in the big leagues, including Tim Dillard, Desmond Jennings and Jonathan Van Every, to name a few. Most recently, Delvin Zinn, Tyreque Reed and Jackson Lancaster were drafted after their time under Collier at ICC, with Zinn and Reed signing pro contracts and Lancaster continuing his college career at Missouri.

This season, Collier's squad is 19-9 overall, 15-5 in conference play, tied for first and ranked No. 12 in the NJCAA. His career record at ICC now stands at 600 wins and 274 loses and one tie making him the all-time winningest coach in the illustrious history of the baseball program.

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