Purvis has found its next baseball coach.
The Tornadoes have named Kyle Lindsey to replace longtime coach Tony Farlow, who has announced his retirement at the end of the season. The Lamar County School District approved the hiring Monday evening.
"It's really exciting, but not just for me, but also for my wife since she's a graduate of Purvis High School as well," Lindsey told The Pine Belt News. "For us to be able to step into this chapter of our life and come back home to not just take the baseball program over but see our kids grow up in a community that I love so much is a really big opportunity. With the history of baseball here, the excitement around the program, and investment in baseball at Purvis, it is just a no-brainer; it is a job opportunity that I could not pass up."
As a player, Lindsey played for Farlow and helped the Tornadoes win the 2004 and 2005 state championships.
"You can't talk about Purvis baseball without mentioning Coach Farlow's name and the success that he has had there," Lindsey said. "It has not been in short stints there, but it's been over a long period of time. That's hard to do anywhere."
Lindsey went on to play at Pearl River Community College and Southern Miss. As a Golden Eagle, Lindsey helped Southern Miss make its only College World Series appearance in 2009.
"It definitely wasn't an easy situation as far as finding the shoes to fill with Coach Farlow with the history there," Purvis Athletic Director Patrick Lee said. "He's a Purvis legend. It's a tough spot to fill. We had a lot of guys interested in it and went through the process.
"We interviewed guys outside the staff and inside the staff. We were looking at what each one brought to the table and what we were looking for going forward. We ended up with Coach Lindsey based on his background. He's a Purvis guy and a Purvis graduate. He played ball there and won two state championships under coach Farlow as a player."
As a coach, Lindsey served as an assistant coach at Pearl River CC, Petal and Columbia. Lindsey later became Columbia High School's head coach, a position he has held for the last six seasons. In the last two years, the Wildcats have put up 20-plus wins.
Purvis will face Sumrall in the Class 4A South State series.
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