Former Sumrall Bobcat and Ole Miss Rebel Austin Knight is moving on up in the coaching profession. After spending two seasons at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as a graduate assistant, Knight will join head coach and former Southern Miss assistant Lane Burroughs at Louisiana Tech as a volunteer assistant.
(Check out the extended interview with Knight on this week's Podcast)
When Knight entered the coaching profession two years ago, he joined a long list of members of his family who have either become a coach in some capacity, a teacher or both. His father, Larry Knight, is a legendary baseball coach at Sumrall and he has coached and taught for 28 years. His mother, Pam Knight, has taught at Oak Grove Primary for 30 years.
Also, many know Steve Knight, a 37-year coach at William Carey University, and there are many more cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents who are on the list, too.
“It’s a really neat thing, and I’m just happy I can continue off those ties and off all the success that my family has had in the profession, which is unbelievable to kind of look at,” Knight said. “I’m very blessed to have the family that I do, and I’ve learned a ton from not only my own dad, but my uncles and grandfather as far as how to do it the right way and how to handle your business.”
Austin Knight’s new boss, Burroughs, spent nine seasons as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator under Corky Palmer at Southern Miss, and that’s where Knight and Burroughs relationship began.
“I had known Lane for a long time,” Knight said. “He was actually probably the first guy who recruited me when I was in high school. Lane was at Southern Miss and we obviously had a relationship for forever with me being from Hattiesburg.”
Knight was apart of four state championships at Sumrall, playing for his father Larry Knight. He played his college ball at Ole Miss, helping his team to the College World Series his junior season in 2014.
After graduation in 2015, Knight joined the Little Rock coaching staff as the graduate assistant while completing his master’s degree. Little Rock head coach Chris Curry contacted Knight for the brand new position at the school, and Knight took it. Curry was an assistant coach for Burroughs at Northwestern State.
Knight said he learned a lot from the experience at Little Rock, including the day-to-day operations of a baseball program, what it takes for it to be successful and even how to mow and take care of the field.
“I took a lot out of Little Rock, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity that I had to get started over there,” Knight said. “You have to get started somewhere, and luckily the first year there we set a program record in conference wins and had a kid drafted. This past year we had two kids drafted, so that program is on its way up under coach Curry’s leadership.
“I couldn’t be more blessed for the opportunity to get started in the coaching profession there.”
Burroughs promoted Ocean Springs native and former Southern Miss infielder Travis Creel to hitting coach and recruiting coordinator, and that opened up a spot for a volunteer assistant. Burroughs reached out to Knight in early June, and it was made official by Louisiana Tech last week.
“I’ve known Austin a long time,” Burroughs said in the Louisiana Tech release. “He comes from a baseball family and a long lineage of coaches in the Knight family. His dad (Larry – Sumrall HS [MS]) is one of the most respected and successful coaches not only in Mississippi, but the entire country. [Austin] is a student of the game and the classic overachiever. He is an extremely hard worker that worked himself into a starter at Ole Miss, on a squad that played in the College World Series. He’s also learned and worked under two men I have the utmost respect for in Mike Bianco and Chris Curry.”
The Bulldogs are scheduled to travel to Hattiesburg in 2018 for a conference three-game series after Southern Miss traveled to Ruston in 2017.
If Knight’s connection with Burroughs wasn’t good enough to land him the new gig, another relationship with Louisiana Tech might have been solid enough. Knight has spent the last couple of seasons coaching in the Cape Cod Baseball League, which is made up of some of the most talented college baseball players in the country.
Knight coached former Bulldogs’ catcher Brent Diaz last summer, and the junior Miami, Fla. native started all 56 games, batting .332 with nine home runs and 48 RBI this season. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 29th round of the MLB First-Year Amateur Player Draft, and opted to turn pro and forgo his senior season.
“I don’t know if the two correlate with each other just because of prior relationships with Lane, but it is an interesting circle of events with the way it did work out,” Knight said.
Knight is back coaching the Cape Cod League this summer, serving as an assistant for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. The League is full of college players from around the country, which includes Southern Miss closer Nick Sandlin, who plays for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.
“Up here in the Cape, it’s an amazing opportunity to be around talented players on a daily basis,” Knight said. “The guys are amazing, they’re very coachable and they want to learn more each day and fall into a routine. It’s not like it’s just a bunch of guys who are just talented up here, because talent only gets you so far. When you look at these guys, the way they set themselves apart is by coming in and working on a daily basis, and by allowing people to work with them and have an open mind.
“You see a lot of guys turn into a high-A draft pick and prospects, because they come here and they go to work. They don’t just go through the motions and don’t rely on their talent alone.”
*Photo courtesy of Nelson Chenault/Little Rock*
