Jerry Boatner
West Lauderdale High School
Impact Statement
“I fell in love with baseball and coaching. That’s all I could do, but it’s all I ever wanted to do. I am a blessed man.” -Jerry Boatner
Biography
Now in his 35th season at West Lauderdale, Boatner’s 2006-07 team may have been his best. The Knights finished with a school-record 38-2 to earn Boatner his 11th Class 5A state title – more than any other Mississippi baseball coach – and state Coach of the Year honors.
West Lauderdale batted .398 as a team, slugged 60 home runs, featured a pitching staff with an earned-run average of 1.45 and had nine players sign college scholarships,( four at Division 1 schools.) They were ranked No. 2 in the USA Today Super 25, earning Boatner the newspaper’s National Coach of the Year award as well.
In 39 years as a head coach, Boatner’s teams have posted a record of 923-286. West Lauderdale also has four state runnerup finishes and 25 district titles under his direction.
Boatner continued to lead West Lauderdale after being honored in 2007. In addition to his baseball team’s success, he also coached the girls’ slow pitch softball team to eight state titles in 19 years.
Boatner retired from West Lauderdale following the 2018 season after 50 years with an illustrious career. Boatner is the winningest coach in the state of Mississippi, boasting 1,202 wins. Despite his retirement Boatner is still involved as a volunteer coach at West Jackson Middle School in Georgia.
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