Head Coach Paul Knight is entering his 9th season with the Knights.
In 2021, the Knights were selected to the NAIA Opening Round for the 5th consecutive year. The team finished with a 36-21 record and a National Post-Season Ranking of 18th. Coach Knight earned his 500th victory as a head coach on February 2nd in the 22-1 win vs. Thomas University. The Knights traveled to Winter Haven, Florida for the NAIA Opening Round where they were defeated by Southeastern University on the final day. Garrett Martin and Caleb Lanoux were selected to the SSAC 1st Team while 4 players (Justin Brooks, JT Rice, Parker Stahlman, and Ryan Wilson) were selected to the 2nd Team.
The 2020 season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and was cancelled on March 13. The Knights were 17-8 at the time.
The 2019 season was another tremendous year for the Knights. They finished the season ranked 12th in the NAIA with a record of 42-16. For the 4th year in a row, the Knights were selected to the NAIA Opening Round and were awarded the privilege of hosting at Luther Williams Field in Macon, Georgia. After losing the 1st game, the Knights battled back to win 3 consecutive games in the loser bracket. They were defeated on the final day to bring the season to an end. Outfielder Zach Cornell was selected as the Player of the Year for the SSAC. Zach and 3 others, Jacob Durant, Trent Nash, and Blake Jackson were all selected to the 1st Team All-Conference. Preston Sparks and MJ Rookard were selected to the 2nd team All SSAC. Both Zach Cornell and Trent Nash also received 2nd Team All American honors and Gold Glove awards.
In 2018, the Knights were crowned SSAC Tournament Champions in Montgomery, AL. This was the first conference tournament title for Middle Georgia State Baseball since joining the conference in 2015. Regular season honors for 1st Team All-Conference went to catcher Dayton Beasley, pitcher Austin Goff, shortstop Trent Nash, second baseman Jacob Durant, outfielder Zach Cornell, and third baseman Blake Jackson. 2nd Team All-Conference selections went to outfielder MJ Rookard and pitcher Crandall Poore. The Knights won the automatic qualifier to the NAIA Opening Round and traveled to Lincoln, CA. The Knights finished with a final record of 45-18 and a final postseason national ranking of 18th in the country. Post season honors included NAIA All-American Honorable Mention selections for third baseman Blake Jackson, shortstop Trent Nash, and outfielder Zach Cornell.
In 2017, Coach Knight brought home the first Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Championship for MGA since joining the SSAC, while also earning his second straight SSAC Coach of the Year award. The team finished with a 46-16 record and was ranked as high as 10th in the NAIA before finishing the year at #13. The Knights made their second straight appearance in the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round falling in the final game to #10 Hope International (CA). 2017 player highlights included SSAC Pitcher of the Year, Mason Klotz; Newcomer of the Year, Mason Klotz; and Freshman of the Year, Logan Carter. Mason Klotz was also awarded 3rd Team All-American. 1st Team All-Conference selections included pitcher Mason Klotz, pitcher Austin Bowker, catcher Andy Mocahbee, second baseman Jesus Monserrat, third baseman Alan Mocahbee, outfielder Will Golden, and DH Jack Bell along with 2nd Team All-Conference pitcher Chris Rich.
In 2016, The Knights made their first appearance on the national stage, earning a #2 seed in the NAIA Opening Round in Kingsport, TN. Coach Knight was awarded Coach of the Year by SSAC. 2016 player highlights included SSAC Pitcher of the Year, Chris Rich; Freshman of the Year, Whit Campbell; Newcomer of the Year, Andy Mocahbee. Andy also earned 2nd Team All-American honors and Chris Rich earned Honorable Mention All-American. All-Conference selections included 1st Team selections: Chris Rich, Andy Mocahbee, Jesus Monserrat, Alan Mocahbee, and Tyler Epps. 2nd Team All-Conference selections included Clint Wynn, Bryce Todd, and Whit Campbell. The Knights finished the year 39-18 with a postseason ranking of 26th in the NAIA National Poll.
Leading the program in its final year in the NJCAA, the Knights finished the 2014 season with a record of 38-15. After losing all but two players from the 2014 roster, Coach Knight rebuilt his roster for the first year of NAIA play to go 17-32 including 7-7 against teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25 and 2-2 against teams ranked #1.
Before coming to Middle Georgia, Knight served as head baseball coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University and Florida Tech, both in NCAA Division II. He has recruited and coached multiple major league, All-Conference, and All-American players over his career and his teams have set multiple school and conference records. His teams have set records for individual and career home runs, team earned run average (ERA), batting average, and on-base percentage among others.
Before becoming a head coach, he spent six years as an associate head coach at Wingate University and two years as a graduate assistant with the University of Richmond, reaching the NCAA Regionals once with each program.
Coach Knight graduated from Methodist College in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science before earning his Masters in Sports Management from Richmond in 1996. As a player for Methodist, Knight was part of two NCAA Division III World Series Teams.
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Career Record as Head Coach (2003-Present: as of 5/6/2024): 618-516
NCAA DII - Florida Tech (2003-07): 139-128
NCAA DII - Lenoir-Rhyne (2008-2013): 114-179
NJCAA - MGA (2014): 38-15
NAIA - MGA (2015-present): 327-194
Middle Georgia State Under Coach Knight
2014: 38-15, last year as a member of the NJCAA
2015: 17-32, Middle Georgia State transitioned from NJCAA to NAIA in 2015.
2016: 39-18, NAIA Opening Round
2017: 46-16, NAIA Opening Round, Regular Season Champions
2018: 45-18, NAIA Opening Round, SSAC Tournament Champions
2019: 42-16, NAIA Opening Round
2020: 17-8, season cancelled due to COVID-19
2021: 36-21, NAIA Opening Round
