Bio

Robert Pickett enters his second season as a college coach at Gulf Coast after compiling an impressive resume from helping run a state championship-winning program.

In 2023, the Bulldogs finished second in the MACCC with 54 home runs and saw two Bulldogs among the nation leaders in homers.

Third baseman Charlie Keller and outfielder Sean Smith finished 1-2 in the conference, with Keller’s 16 leading the way despite missing 16 games because of injury. He finished 13^th in the NJCAA in that category, while Smith hit 15.

Smith was one of five Bulldogs who signed to continue their playing careers at four-year schools. He’ll be at Georgia Southern with pitcher Adam May signing at William Carey, first baseman/designated hitter DJ Walker at LSU Shreveport and pitchers Sam Mansell and Nate Anderson at Mobile.

He had been an assistant at Sumrall High School the previous two seasons, helping the team to the Class 4A state championship last season and the finals the previous year. The Bobcats went 35-1 in 2022 and 31-5 in 2021. He helped develop the Class 4A Player of the Year. Pickett has also worked at D-Bat in Hattiesburg.

Pickett had experience with a college baseball team, too. He was the head equipment manager at Southern Miss from 2017-20. The Golden Eagles won two C-USA Tournament titles and one regular-season championship. While working with the baseball team, he was getting a bachelor’s in sports coaching and education. While coaching at Sumrall, he completed a master’s in sports management from USM.

Previously, Pickett was head equipment manager at Southwest Mississippi, where he completed an associate’s degree in physical education.