Stephen Waggener, ’02
Mississippi Community & Junior College Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
Stephen Waggener of Madison will be inducted into the Mississippi Community and Junior College Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony scheduled for April 28 at the Clyde Muse Center.
Waggener starred on the diamond at Holmes, playing for head coach Kenny Dupont during the 2001 and 2002 seasons. A graduate of Madison Central High School, he earned his associate degree from Holmes in 2002 before continuing his baseball career at the University of West Alabama.
At UWA, Waggener emerged as a team leader, earning captain honors and being recognized as the team’s Best “Team” Player. He also completed his Bachelor of Business Administration degree during his time with the Tigers.
Following his playing career, Waggener earned a master’s degree in sports science from the United States Sports Academy while serving as a graduate assistant. His coaching responsibilities included working with hitters, outfielders and recruiting. During the 2004–05 season, the team captured the Gulf South Conference Tournament championship and finished the year ranked No. 4 nationally.
Waggener continued to climb the coaching ranks with a stop at Division I Southeast Missouri State before spending several seasons at the University of Indianapolis at the Division II level.
He returned to Mississippi in 2008 and joined the Delta State University coaching staff, where he spent nearly nine years as an assistant coach. His duties included coordinating recruiting, serving as the hitting coach and overseeing defensive play.
Currently, Waggener is in his ninth season as head baseball coach at Young Harris College. He has rebuilt and transformed the program into a nationally competitive Division II contender. Under his leadership, Young Harris climbed above the .500 mark, qualified for the Peach Belt Conference Tournament for the first time, and captured the 2019 Peach Belt Conference championship. That season also marked the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.
Among his recent accolades, Waggener was named the 2024 Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year and the 2025 Young Harris College Coach of the Year.
Waggener, who was inducted into the Holmes Community College Sports Hall of Fame in 2015, resides in Blairsville, Ga., with his wife, also a Holmes alum, and their two sons, Tripp (11) and John Patrick (9).
