Coach Jerry Boatner was a championship baseball coach from West Lauderdale High School whose teams have claimed 9 state titles, more than any other coach in state history. He was born in Birmingham, AL, and was a three-sport letterman in baseball, track, and basketball at Meridian High. He was the leading scorer and Most Improved basketball player at Southwest Junior College in Summit. He was the leading RBI hitter and member of Southwest state JUCO title baseball squad and an ace pitcher for Delta State who led Statesmen to 3rd place finish in Division II World Series in 1968. Coach Boatner entered coaching in 1969 at Clarkdale High. He arrived in West Lauderdale in 1973 where he coached for over 2 decades. His Knights baseball teams captured state titles in 1978, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, and 2000, a feat no other coach in Mississippi can claim. Jerry coached the Knights in 13 appearances in the state championship baseball series. He led the West Lauderdale softball team to 5 state championships in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2000. He coached his teams to over 700 diamond victories. He has been honored with over 30 Coach of the Year awards from numerous groups for baseball and softball. Jerry coached in the 1976 and 1994 All-Star baseball games and the 1998 All-Star softball games. He received a Groundskeeper of the Year Award from the National High School Baseball Coaches. The diamond at Clarkdale High was named in his honor in 1973. Coach Boatner was inducted into the Delta State Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Crossroads Diamond Coaches Hall of Fame in 1999.