Jax State Baseball Coach Jim Case Announces Retirement
6/14/2023 4:00:00 PM | Baseball
JACKSONVILLE – Jim Case, Jacksonville State's head baseball coach since 2002 and the man who guided the Gamecocks to national prominence at the Division I level, announced his retirement on Wednesday.
Case made his decision following the 2023 season, which was his 22nd at the helm of the Gamecocks and his 41st as a coach at the Division I level. He was just the sixth head coach in program history and just the second since 1970 and leaves Jax State with a 673-559 overall record and numerous conference titles.
The program's state-of-the-art stadium, which Case was instrumental in making a reality, opened prior to the 2019 season and is named Jim Case Stadium in his honor. His teams thrived at home, putting together a 287-193 (.598) winning percentage.
"What an unbelievable job Coach Case has done in his 22 years as our head baseball coach here at Jax State," Athletics Director Greg Seitz said. "He has won so many games, awards and championships here but, more importantly, he has run a program based on integrity, hard work and service to our University and community. He has molded so many young men that have gone on to become successful husbands, fathers and members of society, not just baseball players. I'm proud to call him a friend and wish he and his family the very best in his retirement."
Success on the field is definitely something that Case has enjoyed in his time with the Gamecocks. He led the Gamecocks to three regular season conference titles in 2005, 2008 and 2009 and then won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title five times in 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2019. The Gamecocks appeared in five NCAA Regionals under his guidance and advanced to the 2019 Oxford Regional Championship Game after eliminating Illinois and Clemson from the tournament.
Case was voted the OVC Coach of the Year three times, receiving the honor in 2005, 2008 and 2019. In his time at Jax State, he coached 85 all-conference players and 18 All-Americans. Clay Whittemore was named the OVC Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008, and Garrett Farmer earned OVC Pitcher of the Year accolades in 2019. Three players grabbed OVC Freshman of the Year honors - Donovan Hand in 2005, Todd Cunningham in 2008, Kyle Bluestein in 2009.
The Gamecocks have seen 28 players move on to sign with Major League Baseball organizations, 22 of which were drafted in the MLB Draft. Cunningham was the highest drafted player in the Jim Case Era when the Atlanta Braves selected him with the first pick of the second round in 2010.
Case's Gamecocks competed in the ASUN Conference in his two seasons in 2002-03 and then dominated the OVC over the next 18 seasons before returning to the ASUN in 2022. In the OVC, his teams finished in the top five in 16 of the 17 seasons in which a champion was crowned. They finished in the top three 12 times, seven of which were in the top two. In all, the Gamecocks were 272-150 (.645) in conference play when Case filled out the lineup.
His teams won more than 30 games 16 times and won more than 20 league games four times. In 2008, the Gamecocks set an OVC record with 23 conference wins on their way to the conference title. In 16 OVC Tournament appearances, Case's Gamecocks posted a 38-24 (.680) record.
Case took over the Jax State program after a four-year run as an assistant coach at Mississippi State that followed an 11-year stint as an assistant at UAB. He was a graduate assistant at MSU from 1984-86 after spending one season as a student assistant at his alma mater, Louisiana Tech.
In his 41 years as a coach on the Division I level, Case has been part of 12 NCAA Regional squads, two Super Regional teams and two College World Series teams. Over 30 of his former players have been selected in the MLB Draft and eight have advanced to play in the major leagues, including Hand and Cunningham from Jax State.
Case was an All-Southland Conference catcher as a player at Louisiana Tech under legendary head coach Pat Patterson and was selected by the team to receive its Outstanding Attitude Award.
Jax State will begin a nationwide search to find a new head coach, who will lead the Gamecocks into their first season in Conference USA in 2024.
Case made his decision following the 2023 season, which was his 22nd at the helm of the Gamecocks and his 41st as a coach at the Division I level. He was just the sixth head coach in program history and just the second since 1970 and leaves Jax State with a 673-559 overall record and numerous conference titles.
"I want to thank Jacksonville State for blessing my family with the opportunity to be a part of this great University for the last 22 years. There would never be an easy time to walk away from something that means so much to me, and it's not easy now. With that being said, I know that now is the right time for me to retire.
"I am thankful for every player, coach, manager and trainer that have poured their hearts into this program through the years, for every administrator that has supported us and for each Athletic Department employee that has given so much to me and our players. Each one has made a lasting impact on my life, and I am thankful for all of your efforts. I feel so blessed to be able to have had such long lasting relationships with the people for which I have so much respect.
"I am proud of the number of games and the conference championships that we have won and the regional appearances, and I am equally proud of the great things our players have accomplished after leaving the program. I'm proud that they have become great husbands, fathers and hard workers, and that they are men who make all those around them better. You make us all proud.
"Again, I am so thankful for what JSU has meant to me and Jan, and I am excited to see the program continue to grow and have great success in the future."
-Jim Case
"I am thankful for every player, coach, manager and trainer that have poured their hearts into this program through the years, for every administrator that has supported us and for each Athletic Department employee that has given so much to me and our players. Each one has made a lasting impact on my life, and I am thankful for all of your efforts. I feel so blessed to be able to have had such long lasting relationships with the people for which I have so much respect.
"I am proud of the number of games and the conference championships that we have won and the regional appearances, and I am equally proud of the great things our players have accomplished after leaving the program. I'm proud that they have become great husbands, fathers and hard workers, and that they are men who make all those around them better. You make us all proud.
"Again, I am so thankful for what JSU has meant to me and Jan, and I am excited to see the program continue to grow and have great success in the future."
-Jim Case
"What an unbelievable job Coach Case has done in his 22 years as our head baseball coach here at Jax State," Athletics Director Greg Seitz said. "He has won so many games, awards and championships here but, more importantly, he has run a program based on integrity, hard work and service to our University and community. He has molded so many young men that have gone on to become successful husbands, fathers and members of society, not just baseball players. I'm proud to call him a friend and wish he and his family the very best in his retirement."
Success on the field is definitely something that Case has enjoyed in his time with the Gamecocks. He led the Gamecocks to three regular season conference titles in 2005, 2008 and 2009 and then won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title five times in 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2019. The Gamecocks appeared in five NCAA Regionals under his guidance and advanced to the 2019 Oxford Regional Championship Game after eliminating Illinois and Clemson from the tournament.
Case was voted the OVC Coach of the Year three times, receiving the honor in 2005, 2008 and 2019. In his time at Jax State, he coached 85 all-conference players and 18 All-Americans. Clay Whittemore was named the OVC Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008, and Garrett Farmer earned OVC Pitcher of the Year accolades in 2019. Three players grabbed OVC Freshman of the Year honors - Donovan Hand in 2005, Todd Cunningham in 2008, Kyle Bluestein in 2009.
The Gamecocks have seen 28 players move on to sign with Major League Baseball organizations, 22 of which were drafted in the MLB Draft. Cunningham was the highest drafted player in the Jim Case Era when the Atlanta Braves selected him with the first pick of the second round in 2010.
Case's Gamecocks competed in the ASUN Conference in his two seasons in 2002-03 and then dominated the OVC over the next 18 seasons before returning to the ASUN in 2022. In the OVC, his teams finished in the top five in 16 of the 17 seasons in which a champion was crowned. They finished in the top three 12 times, seven of which were in the top two. In all, the Gamecocks were 272-150 (.645) in conference play when Case filled out the lineup.
His teams won more than 30 games 16 times and won more than 20 league games four times. In 2008, the Gamecocks set an OVC record with 23 conference wins on their way to the conference title. In 16 OVC Tournament appearances, Case's Gamecocks posted a 38-24 (.680) record.
Case took over the Jax State program after a four-year run as an assistant coach at Mississippi State that followed an 11-year stint as an assistant at UAB. He was a graduate assistant at MSU from 1984-86 after spending one season as a student assistant at his alma mater, Louisiana Tech.
In his 41 years as a coach on the Division I level, Case has been part of 12 NCAA Regional squads, two Super Regional teams and two College World Series teams. Over 30 of his former players have been selected in the MLB Draft and eight have advanced to play in the major leagues, including Hand and Cunningham from Jax State.
Case was an All-Southland Conference catcher as a player at Louisiana Tech under legendary head coach Pat Patterson and was selected by the team to receive its Outstanding Attitude Award.
Jax State will begin a nationwide search to find a new head coach, who will lead the Gamecocks into their first season in Conference USA in 2024.
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