(This is the first of a two day series highlighting some of the new inductees in the 2025 Pascagoula Athletic Hall of Fame Class that will be honored Saturday night.)

By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

(Stacy Carmichael (PHS 1977) — A two-year letterman in football and three-year letterman in baseball at PHS; in baseball helped lead PHS to two district titles in 1976 and 1977 plus the Big 8 baseball championship in 1977; was an outstanding defensive lineman/punter on the 12-0 1976 PHS Big 8 State Championship squad and was selected All Big 8, Burger King All Coast and National High School Football Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete; holds PHS football record for most sacks (5) in one game against Hattiesburg in 1976; named 1976 PHS Donald Gibson Award winner; received a baseball scholarship to Mississippi College (MC) where he was a four­ year letterman; was selected team Most Valuable Player and All-Gulf South Conference in 1978 and 1981 plus Academic All-American in 1978; later played semi-pro baseball and was selected Mississippi Semi-Pro All-State from 1977- 1979; participated in the National Baseball Congress World Series in 1978 and 1979.)

(This story was first published on SouthMiss6 Sports on June 18th, 2024)

Longtime Jackson County resident Stacy Carmichael is once again attending the College World Series.
And not just a few games. For the 13th time, Carmichael is attending every game of the annual affair in Omaha, Neb.
Carmichael made the trip from Ocean Springs late last week and arrived in Omaha on what has become his yearly summer vacation. His sister and brother-in-law relocated to Omaha almost 15 years ago, and Carmichael, a former standout prep and collegiate baseball player, quickly started a plan.
“What an experience, especially for a baseball guy, to be able to do this,” he said. “The first year I came was the first in the new stadium, and it was just such a great time. To be able to come and see every game is probably not something a lot of people get to do very many times, and this will be like 13 straight years doing it for me.”
Since Covid canceled the 2020 tournament, Carmichael got to enjoy seeing both Ole Miss and Mississippi State win their first ever national baseball championships in school history.

“What a perfect time for a Mississippi guy to be able to be here over the past few years,” he added. “Especially being someone that played college baseball in the state of Mississippi against those teams. As a player growing up, the College World Series was always something you dreamed of being a part of. As a fan, not only have I been able to get here but have been able to see two different teams from my home state win the College World Series as well. And my youngest daughter Amelia was a student at State the year they won it, and she was here with me and that made it even more special.

“And Southern Mississippi was here a year or so before I was able to start attending. That’s probably one of the things that really got me wanting to come, seeing them play in it. I mean, what a great time for baseball in the state of Mississippi over the past decade.”
Carmichael was a standout in both baseball and football in the mid-to-late 1970’s at Pascagoula High School, and then went on to start as an infielder for several seasons at Mississippi College.
He served as a baseball coach at several high schools along the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the 1980’s, including as the head coach at St. Martin. He then left education and entered into the private business sector for over a decade, before returning to the classroom after Hurricane Katrina and eventually retiring a few years back.
“I couldn’t do this without the hospitality of my sister and brother-in-law,” he added. “I’m here for two weeks, and having a place to stay and transportation to and from the stadium is invaluable. But we all go and have a great time.”

Carmichael’s in-laws have South Mississippi ties as well. His sister, Michelle Carmichael Gandy, is a 1981 graduate of Ocean Springs High School. Her husband, Jerry Gandy, is a 1980 graduate of D’Iberville High.
Carmichael added that as much fun as the games are, the tail-gating and pageantry surrounding the tournament is almost enjoyable.
“We get there sometimes with tickets and sometimes we get there without any and just see what we can come up with,” he concluded. “We get tickets and trade with other fans that we meet and they invite you over to eat with them and it just adds to the excitement. It’s quite a unique experience, one I am very thankful to get to be a part of.”