POPLARVILLE, Miss. — After building Pearl River softball into a National Champion, Christie Meeks is returning home.

Meeks, who guided the Wildcats to the most successful stretch in program history, has accepted an Associate Head Coach position at South Alabama, returning to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama.

"Over the last several years, coach Christie Meeks has made a tremendous impact on Pearl River Community College. From her very first day on campus, she embraced our mission and dedicated herself to providing life-changing opportunities for our student-athletes, both on and off the field," President Dr. Adam Breerwood said. "Her commitment to developing young women of character, confidence and excellence has left a lasting mark on our institution. Christie, along with her husband Eric and their children, Connor and Olivia, will forever be part of the Pearl River family. They invested not only in our softball program, but in our college and community as a whole.

"The culmination of Coach Meeks' leadership with the first NJCAA Softball National Championship in program history — a remarkable achievement that reflects years of vision, hard work and an unwavering commitment to excellence. She leaves our softball program better than she found it, and today it stands as the premier program in the country. Success creates new opportunities, and while we will certainly miss Coach Meeks, we are grateful for everything she has meant to Pearl River. We wish Christie and her family nothing but continued success and happiness as they begin this next chapter. They will always have a home at Pearl River."

"We are thankful for coach Meeks and her family, and the time they spent here with us," Poplarville Campus Vice President Jeff Long said. "Coach Meeks has been a tremendous employee, and her teams represented our institution well both on the field and in the community. This past season's NJCAA National Championship was a culmination of her tireless work and dedication towards making our softball program nationally relevant. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors."

Meeks leaves Pearl River following a remarkable seven-year stretch that built the Wildcats into a perennial contender. She compiled a 234-93 record while leading PRCC to three 40-win seasons and 30 or more win seasons five times.

The pinnacle came in 2026 when Pearl River finished 48-7, claimed the program's first-ever National Championship in its first-ever trip and completed one of the most impressive postseason runs in NJCAA history. The Wildcats went undefeated in the World Series, taking down No. 12, No. 4, No. 1, No. 2 and No. 9 to capture the crown. Meeks was named the NJCAA Division II World Series Coach of the Tournament while she and her staff earned NFCA/ATEC National Coaching Staff of the Year honors.

Meeks help develop some of the top talent in the NJCAA. During her time at Pearl River, she coached five NJCAA All-America selections, including Ana-Grace Garcia, who was named the 2026 NJCAA Pitcher of the Year. Meeks also coached numerous All-Region 23 and All-MACCC selections while helping countless student-athletes continue their playing careers at the four-year level.

The success by Meeks was years in the making. After a COVID-19 shortened first season in 2020, Pearl River emerged as a national contender. The Wildcats broke into the NJCAA Rankings for the first time under Meeks in 2021 before climbing as high as No. 6 in 2022.

In 2023, Meeks guided Pearl River to a then-program record 43 wins, finishing 43-13 overall, 22-6 in conference play and a perfect 20-0 at Wildcat Stadium. The Wildcats followed that historic campaign with another milestone season in 2024, posting a 42-12 record and securing back-to-back 40-win seasons for the first time in program history — reaching as high as No. 2 nationally.

Pearl River remained among the nation's best in 2025, winning 36 games and finishing one game shy of a national tournament appearance before breaking through in 2026 with the program's first National Championship.

PRCC will begin a national search for its next head coach immediately. 

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