When Miles athletic director Fred Watson began looking for a new baseball coach, he knew what he wanted right away…a winner.
He feels he got the right man to lead a program above its elevated status in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference when he selected Milton Barney, Jr. as the new leader of Golden Bears baseball program. Barney has a long list of success leading programs as a player, coach and administrator.
"I think we hit a home run," Watson said. "He is an elite recruiter and a proven winner at the highest level. He has hit the ground running and I can't wait to see his team take the field. It's going to be exciting."
Barney comes to Miles from Mississippi Valley State, where he won 15 games in 2023 in his first year at the helm. While that may not sound like a lot of wins over the course of a baseball season, it is the most victories that the Delta Devils' program has garnered in more than a decade.
"I'm blessed being able to get a position like this, even coming from Division I," Barney said. "This job is important because it's about the culture. I want to bring the winning culture back."
No matter the level, Barney has found success. The Gulfport, Miss. Native helped his high school reach the state finals in 2005. During his college career, he hit over .300 and was a part of Grambling State's first Southwestern Athletic Conference in 25 years during his senior season in 2010. The next season, as an assistant at Alcorn State, he won another SWAC title with the Braves. Barney also has experience with player development, heading a youth travel baseball organization that won multiple championships.
"Winning…I'm used to it. My family's DNA is winning," said Barney, whose grandfather is NFL Hall of Famer Lem Barney, and father, Milton Sr., also played in the NFL and Arena Football League, where he was an All-AFL performer. "It's part of who I am."
Barney said he has a plan to push Miles back to the top of the standings and make it a destination location for not just top athletes, but academics as well.
"We have to reach out to all areas. Not to bring in just the best guys, but the right guys. Academically, athletically, financially. It all has to add up to be the right situation," Barney said. "It starts with building the culture, then bringing in your first recruiting class. That's the future of your program."
Miles has been in the mix for league titles for nearly two consecutive decades, finishing among the best regular season teams and twice making it to the championship round in the past 10 years. But since winning the SIAC championship in 2017, the Golden Bears have not been able to get back over the hump. Last season, despite making the tournament as the No. 4 seed, Miles lost back-to-back games and were eliminated.
The Golden Bears finished 22-24 last season, the first time the team was under .500 in a full season since 2015. But Barney does not think it will take much time to point the program back in the right direction.
"We're going to win this year. We have nine starters back. We have brought in four really good transfers," Barney said. "We have camaraderie and familiarity, which is a big part of what you need to go out and win."
The Golden Bears open the 2024 campaign on Feb. 2 at Shorter.
