By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

CARRIERE — The most successful head coach in any sport, by far, at Pearl River Central High School is suddenly out of a job.
For now anyway.
Details are unclear why, but veteran Blue Devil baseball head coach Neil Walther was relieved of his duties at a meeting with school administration Thursday morning. He is expected to appeal the decision.
Walthers was in the midst of his 17th season at the helm of the Blue Devils. Since the 2008 season, he compiled an impressive 329-169 record while winning seven district titles, 15 straight playoff appearances, three trips to the South State finals and a state title.
The move came less than 48 hours after PRC dropped a 3-2 decision on the road in Hattiesburg on Tuesday night in Region 4-6A play and was made just as the Blue Devils were about to meet the Tigers at home on Thursday night with a return trip to the Hub City on tap for Friday night to wrap up league play.
Pearl River Central won both of those games, 12-5 in Carriere and 3-2 in Hattiesburg, to clinch the top seed in the region race as it heads into the upcoming Class 6A South State playoffs in less than two weeks.
The Blue Devils are having a really successful season as one of the top-ranked teams in the state and stand 23-5 overall.

PRC is one of the favorites to vie for the state championship once again this year, after Walther led them to the Class 5A state title in 2017, which still stands aa the only state championship in a team sport in school history. The Blue Devils knocked off Oxford in three games in the title series.
In fact, PRC had qualified for the playoffs just three times in the history of the school before Walther arrived in Carriere. He has over 500 total wins as a head coach in 26 years. He came to South Mississippi after serving as a head coach in two other stops one at Springs Valley High in French Lick, Ind., and also at Newburg High in Newburg, Missouri.

Interim head coach Jarred Rogers, in his first year as an assistant under Walther, led the Blue Devils over the past two games.
A sports writer for SouthMiss6 Sports that covered Friday night’s game in Hattiesburg asked PRC first-year Athletics Director Mandy Mitchell about Walther’s situation and she declined comment as did PRC School Superintendent John Shows through her with each citing personnel matters.
When reached by SouthMiss6 on Friday, Walthers also preferred not to comment on the decision due to the impending possible appeal.
He did, however, recognize what the team accomplished over the past two nights.
“Just want to say I am proud of Coach Rodgers, Coach Fazende, Coach Graves, and all the boys.” Walther said.
Lane Fazande, a former PRC standout player, and Tyler Graves are also like Rogers in their first season as an assistant coach with the Blue Devils.

“Coach (Brent) Barham always has Hattiesburg ready,” said Rogers, after the big win Friday night. “Man, they’re electric and they’re a sound baseball team in every facet. It’s tough coming in here; it’s playoff-caliber baseball, no doubt. So, big win for us.”
“We told the kids to continue what you’re doing,” he added. “This program is a blue-collar program that has been built over the years. We just said to keep playing the way we play in Carriere, Mississippi.”
PRC has a home-and-home series against South Jones next week to wrap up the regular season.