Head Coach:  Robert Eakins

Robert Eakins is the head coach of the Lady Eagle Softball Team. He was the assistant coach for four years before taking over the head duties in 1994. 

The Lady Eagles were still a slow-pitch team when Eakins took over and his team finished with a 57-12 record, the Miss-Lou Conference Title, the Region 23 Championship, and a second place finish at the NJCAA Championship. Eakins' teams were the slow-pitch Region 23 Champions in 1995 and 1997, and finished second in the nation in 1995 and 1996. His 1997 team won the NJCAA National Tournament. This was the last year for MCC to field a slow-pitch team. 

MCC switched to fast-pitch in 1998 and the team finished ranked 20th in the nation. Under Coach Eakins, MCC's teams have won the Miss-Lou Conference all three years, were the Region 23 Champions all three years, and finished as the District Runner-up two years. In 2000, the team won the District and made their first trip to the NJCAA National Championship. 

MCC has had 15 fast-pitch NJCAA All-Region players, and two fast-pitch NJCAA All-Americans. There have been four fast-pitch NFCA All-Region players and two NFCA All-Americans.

A native of Lauderdale County, Eakins is a graduate from Northeast High School. He attended MCC two years before transferring to Mississippi State University where he received his bachelor's degree in liberal arts. He worked with the Meridian Public Schools for ten years in the Elementary Physical Education Department.

Eakins coached at Kate Griffin Junior High School in Meridian for one year and has coached Special Olympics basketball for 11 years, along with softball and soccer for several years. He played and coached semi-professional basketball and baseball, and still spends the majority of his summer coaching and playing semi-professional baseball eight the Meridian A's.

Eakins has been an official for football, basketball, baseball and softball for 16 years, and in 1994, was chosen to officiate the Shrine Bowl in Tyler, Texas.

Return to MCC Softball home page