RAYMOND, Miss. - The fourth annual First Pitch Dinner for the Hinds Community College baseball program will take place on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. in the multi-purpose facility in Mayo Fieldhouse on the Hinds Campus in Raymond.
 
The guest speaker for the dinner will be Chad Caillet, a highly respected baseball mind who spent time at the likes of the University of Southern Mississippi, Texas A&M University and the University of South Carolina, among other stops.
"Chad has achieved a wealth of success at the highest levels of amateur baseball," head coach Dan Rives said. "He has spent a lengthy amount of time in the Division I ranks, and his passion and energy for the game of baseball is unmatched. Our fans and supporters will be in for a treat."

Nathan Werremeyer, Hinds CC athletic director, will open the evening with an introduction, followed by remarks from Rives, who will give those in the audience a preview of the upcoming season, introduce the 2026 Eagles and then turn it over to Caillet for a Q&A session.
 
There will be a Meet & Greet starting at 6 p.m., and dinner will be served at approximately 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for children 12 years old and under.
   
Caillet served as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at the University of South Carolina in 2022, and in 2020 and 2021, was the offensive coordinator, infield coach and third base coach at Texas A&M.

From 2008-2019, Calliet was a member of the University of Southern Mississippi coaching staff, where he spent his final three seasons as the associate head coach. He served as the Golden Eagles' recruiting coordinator as well as working with the team's offense and infield defense, and in his 12 seasons, helped lead USM to eight NCAA regional appearances.

In 2017, Caillet earned Conference USA Assistant Coach of the Year honors, when he helped lead the Golden Eagles to 50 wins for the first time in school history.

With Caillet in charge of the offense, Southern Miss set single-season team marks for runs, RBI, batting average and on-base percentage. He also made a mark on the Golden Eagles' defense, as USM led the nation in double plays for three consecutive seasons from 2009-11. 

Caillet was a nationally renowned recruiter, as D1Baseball.com named him Conference USA's top recruiting coordinator, highlighted by the country's number three recruiting class in 2012 according to Baseball America. He coached nine players who were selected in the first 10 rounds of the MLB draft during his time at USM.

Caillet entered the Division I ranks as an assistant coach at Southeastern Louisiana University in 2006 and spent two seasons in Hammond, La. This was coming off a one-year stint as the head coach at Meridian Community College in 2005, where he was named MACJC Coach of the Year after a 44-14 season. Prior to his season as the skipper, Caillet spent three seasons as an assistant coach at MCC from 2002-04. 

Caillet also had one-year coaching stops at Jones College (2023), Mississippi College (2001), Millsaps College (2000) and Copiah-Lincoln (1999). 

He played two seasons at Copiah-Lincoln before finishing his career at Southern Miss, where he earned his bachelor's degree (1998) and master's degree (2000).

Caillet is the owner of Baseball Performance Specialist (a customized developmental center for baseball and softball players), as well as serving as the Director of High School Baseball Operations for 2D Sports. He and his wife Jessica live in Hattiesburg and have a daughter, Carsyn, and a son, Coby. 

You can purchase tickets by going to sports.hindscc.edu and going to Tickets/Camps on the home page and selecting Tickets in the drop down tab!

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