Neal Hollman, Head Coach
Neal Holliman is in his sixth year as head baseball coach and has compiled an overall 143-115 record. He led the 2011 Diamond Warriors to a 28-20 mark and a third-place finish in the MACJC South Division with a 13-11 record. The talented squad received national recognition during season action and was ranked as high as 15th in the NJCAA poll. EC qualified for post-season play but dropped a pair of decisions (10-8, 10-5) to host Northwest Mississippi Community College in the best of three series.
Holliman’s 2010 squad finished runners-up in the MACJC State Baseball Tournament and advanced to the Region 23 Tournament before completing season action with a 39-20 record. The Diamond Warriors were ranked as high as 10th in the NJCAA poll during the 2010 campaign.
Holliman led his first squad in 2007 to the MACJC State Baseball Championship and a 31-23 record. In recognition of his team’s success, Holliman was chosen MACJC Baseball Coach of the Year.
The team’s accomplishment represented the second state title for the ECCC baseball program. Holliman was a first-year assistant to then head coach Jamie Clark when the Diamond Warriors won the championship in 1998. East Central also qualified for the Region 23 Tournament during all three seasons Holliman served
as Coach Clark’s assistant.
Prior to joining the EC staff, Coach Holliman was an assistant baseball coach at the University of West Alabama and helped lead the Diamond Tigers to the 2005 Gulf South Conference Championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional before finishing with a school record 45 wins. The 2006 squad finished runners-up for the Gulf South Conference Championship and also advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional.
A graduate of Pickens Academy in Carrollton, Ala., Holliman was an Academic All-Conference third baseman and pitcher at UWA (then known as Livingston University), where he received a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1995. He earned a master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Southern Mississippi while playing professional baseball for the Meridian Brakemen of the Independent Big South League.
Holliman is married to the former Tracy Blackburn of Decatur. They have two sons - Levi, five; and Hayes, two.
Jake Rowell, Assistant Coach
Rowell previously served a brief stint as head coach of the Prospects National Travel Baseball Team in Kyle, Texas.
He is also a former head baseball coach at Marion (Ala.) Military Institute, serving from August 2012 to September 2013. He served the previous year as an assistant coach.
Rowell’s coaching experience also includes serving as head coach of the Beaumont (Texas) Gladiators Select Baseball Club and his participation in several summer baseball league programs.
He also has several years of experience as a private instructor for all phases of the game.
In addition, Rowell is a former baseball official and umpire for the Texas Association of Sports Officials.
Rowell is a 2011 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he received a bachelor’s degree in science, health and exercise science and was a standout baseball player. A two-year starter and letterman, he helped lead the Trojans to the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship and the university’s first NCAA Tournament appearance. He served as team captain during the historic season. The previous season Rowell helped lead the squad to the 11th best “turnaround” in college baseball.
He was also a Dean’s List Scholar at Arkansas-Little Rock and was included on the Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll.
Rowell began his college career at Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas, where he received an associate’s degree in arts, physical education and health sciences in in 2009. He was also a member of the Roadrunners baseball team.
He is a 2007 honor graduate of Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School in Orange, Texas, where he was a member of the Bears baseball and golf teams.
