Hamilton Coaching Legend Earnest Ready to Retire

HAMILTON, Miss. (WCBI) — It was 26 years ago that Lewis Earnest took the head baseball coaching position at Hamilton. However, now he’s ready to begin a new chapter: retirement.

“You never really know when is right, Lewis said. “I don’t know if now is right necessarily.”

Six state titles. That’s how Hamilton will remember Coach Earnest.

He was the first to bring the hardware home after winning the 1997 1A baseball state championship. Later, Earnest added two more trophies to the display case in 1999 and 2001, as well as three slow-pitch softball titles in 2004, 2009, and 2012.

“They’re all special in a certain way. Of course, the first one is special because it’s the first. There was something different about every one of them; big plays and different kids,” Lewis said.

Nearly 23 years later, Earnest remembers his first title like it was yesterday.

“We played Natchez-Cathedral. They were 24-0 when we went down there and when we got back here, after playing them, they were 24-2. We won those two and won it all. I remember the fans coming over the outfield wall. Back then, you played championships on your home field,” Earnest said.

However, it’s not the championships that Earnest says he’s going to miss the most. His toughest goodbye will be to the baseball field.

“There wasn’t much of anything here when I started. Everything here has my fingerprint on it and one way or another I built it. This one and the softball field. It’s special to me. I’ve told people it’s kind of like my baby,” Earnest said.

Although Earnest may no longer be the man in charge, he says he doesn’t plan on staying away from the baseball field he calls home.

“Thank you for a great opportunity, and for a great career. I’m going to miss everything about it. I’m still going to be down here a lot, but I’m going to miss it,” Earnest said.

Hamilton baseball now begins a new era as six-year assistant coach Dallas Flippo takes over the program.