Familiarity is the name of the game for Southwest Head Baseball Coach Jack Edmonson when it comes to his coaching staff for the upcoming year. After assistant coaches Tyler Graham and Nate Oswalt moved on, Edmonson filled the openings with individuals who previously had ties to the program.

Derrick Mount returns to Southwest following a three-year run on the Division I level to take over as lead assistant while former Bear pitcher Lane Gordon begins his first year as a volunteer assistant coach. They join volunteer assistant Brady Spring who returns for his second year on the staff.

For Mount, he describes his return as a blessing.

"It is good to be back, close to family and friends," he said. "I'm just excited to get things going."

Mount was an assistant at Southwest from 2019-21. Afterward he was an assistant coach at both Southeastern Louisiana and South Alabama spending a year at the former and two at the latter.

The D'Iberville-native – who will be in charge of infielders and hitting – has also been appointed as Recruiting Coordinator for Bear Baseball. He is thankful for his time in both Louisiana and Alabama and will use the experience not only to help with recruiting but also help prepare the Southwest players for what they will endure on the next level.

"I learned a lot, honestly," he said. "Being a part of the Division I-game has taught me a lot. It is different with the players and how you go about recruiting. As far as being back and being the recruiting coordinator, it has helped me with what I need to look for for the program. Being here now compared to before, the program has changed so much and it has changed for the better."

For Gordon, a native of Meridian and Northeast Lauderdale graduate, this will be his first time putting on a Southwest uniform since the 2019 season when he played for the Bears.

"I loved my two years here," he said. "Coach Edmonson has it (the team) going in the right direction and I'm excited to help build on what he's got here."

Gordon will be in charge of the pitchers at Southwest.

Following his time at Summit, Gordon finished his undergrad at both Alcorn State and Texas Southern. He began his coaching career at Arkansas - Rich Mountain for a year before coaching pitchers during the past two years at Carl Albert State College in Oklahoma.

Getting the chance to return is one that Gordon has had his sights set on.

"This conference is probably at the top of Division II Junior College Baseball," he said. "It has been a goal of mine to coach not only in this conference but at Southwest. This is right where I want to be."

Edmonson said that he is not only happy to have Mount and Gordon on the staff but also two individuals who are familiar with Southwest Baseball and who know what is expected in the program.

"This is something that we are excited about," he said. "Two guys who are familiar with the program, that knows what goes on and what is expected. Derrick coached here with me before so he knows what our program stands for. Lane has played here before so he is very familiar wit the college and program. They are both going to be big assets for us."

In addition, Edmonson expressed that there is a certain level of comfort for him in getting the chance to fill coaching vacancies with individuals who are familiar with the system.

"Anytime that you can bring in somebody that knows a little bit about what's going on already, that makes the transition way easier and that is what has happened in this case," he said. "We had to explain that a couple of things have changed from the way that they used to be but for the most part a lot of it is still the same, so we can hit the ground running."