Bo Reid - Softball Coach - Mississippi State

Bo Reid

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
breid@athletics.msstate.edu

Entering his 24th year as a collegiate softball coach, Bo Reid enters his seventh season at Mississippi State, his 13th as a Southeastern Conference coach, and his seventh alongside head coach Jay Miller, officially joining the Bulldog staff on June 22, 2000.

Reid’s duties include, but are not limited to, pitching instruction, equipment and facility management, scheduling and co-coordinating camps and clinics.

“Coming into a new program, adjustment is always the toughest thing,” Miller said. “He’s been a tremendous help to my adjustment not only to Starkville and Mississippi State, but also to our ballclub and to our players. He brings a great insight into strengths and weaknesses and areas that we need to concentrate on and work on.

“He’s a great guy to work with. He knows the game very well. He’s an excellent pitching coach and, in addition, not only works well with our pitchers, but also in other aspects of our program. He is just a good stabilizer for us on our staff.”

In his eight seasons with Mississippi State, Reid has been responsible for a pitching staff that has held its own inside the SEC, ranking in the top half of several statistical pitching categories. In his first season with the team in 2001, Reid coached a staff that turned in an impressive 36 wins, a 2.12 overall team ERA, 235 strikeouts and 13 saves.

This past season, the Bulldogs picked up 41 victories and seven saves with a staff that consisted of two rookies and a second-year junior. His hurlers have routinely stepped up when facing the top competition, earning 38 victories over nationally ranked opponents since the beginning of the 2002 season.

Since his hiring, Reid’s Mississippi State pitching staff has filed a respectable 2.31 ERA, fired five no-hitters and collected four conference Pitcher of the Week accolades. Last season, freshman Misty Flesher twice earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors.

“Coach Miller has given me a jump-start on my softball career,” Reid said. “He has given me a lot of knowledge about the game. We are a very good and a very close coaching staff and that is what makes a program successful. We’re going to accomplish great things at Mississippi State.”

An accomplished fastpitch hurler, Reid retired from competitive pitching in 1995, but not before leading his team to the national tournament in nine of the last 10 years of his career. A highlight of his playing stint came in 1992 when he pitched nine games in a 24-hour period, including four consecutive no-hitters.

He made his debut in the softball coaching world in 1984, working with Spartanburg Methodist as an assistant coach, spending one season before joining Alleen Hawkins’ staff at Furman University. The pair worked together 11 seasons with the Paladins before making the transition to the Southeastern Conference in Athens.

During his four seasons with Georgia, Reid molded a remarkable foundation with the Red and Black pitchers. Due to his extensive work with the Bulldog battery, Reid’s pitching staff ranked among the best staffs in the conference following every season of his tenure at UGA.

In his first season with Georgia, Reid’s development of the Bulldog pitchers showed quickly as Georgia finished as one of the better pitching teams in the conference, tallying a 2.39 team ERA while allowing the third-fewest hits among the 11 SEC softball-playing institutions.

One of his pitchers, Natalie Price, was the only freshman to finish in the top 10 of nine statistical categories in the Southeastern Conference in 1997, including third in strikeouts and complete games. Her 792 career strikeouts currently ranks second in the conference. She also collected SEC Pitcher of the Week honors three times in 1999.

Born July 22, 1949, in Greenville, S.C., Reid is the father of two children, son, B.J. (8-26-74) and daughter, Ryan (1-12-81). He also has two granddaughters, Elizabeth and Alison. His hobbies include softball, bowling and watching and collecting movies. Reid is currently single.

Coaching Career
- 1984: Assistant Coach, Spartanburg Methodist
- 1985-95: Assistant Coach, Furman University
- 1996-2000: Assistant Coach, University of Georgia
- 2001-present: Assistant Coach, Mississippi State University

Playing Career
- Played competitive ASA fastpitch softball at the men's major level (1959-1995).