Jesus Aleman named new head softball coach at East Mississippi Community College

SCOOBA — Displaying a diverse background as a former multi-sport athlete as well as having an unbridled passion for coaching, Jesus Aleman has earned his first collegiate coaching opportunity as East Mississippi Community College's new head softball coach. The official announcement of Aleman's hiring was made Monday by EMCC Director of Athletics Cade Wilkerson.

"We're excited to welcome Coach Jesus Aleman and his family to the East Mississippi Community College family as our new head softball coach. He brings great energy, strong local ties, and a genuine passion for helping young women succeed on and off the field," Wilkerson said. "He understands the importance of our local school districts and the talent in this area, and we're excited for him to get to work building relationships throughout our community."

"It is an absolute honor to be named as the head softball coach at East Mississippi Community College. I want to especially thank (EMCC President) Dr. Scott Alsobrooks, (Executive Vice President & Provost) Dr. James Rush and (EMCC Director of Athletics) Cade Wilkerson for trusting me with this position," Aleman said. "I also want to thank my wife Kayla for her endless support throughout the years as well as giving a special recognition to my coaching mentors during my career."

A former three-sport collegiate athlete at Mississippi Valley State University, Aleman's connection to the Magnolia State began when he transferred from the University of West Alabama to East Central Community College in Decatur. Primarily used as a pitcher, Aleman compiled a 10-5 two-year record on the mound for the Warriors. As a freshman, Aleman posted a 7-2 record as part of East Central's 2007 MACJC state championship baseball team guided by Neal Holliman in his first of 20 successful seasons at the ECCC helm.

During his two seasons as a player for Holliman at East Central, Aleman also benefitted in many ways from then-assistant baseball coach Michael Avalon, who has since moved on to lead Pearl River Community College to three consecutive MACCC baseball championships as well as this year's NJCAA Division II national championship.

Aleman continued his collegiate athletic career at Itta Bena-based Mississippi Valley State, where he pitched and played at the infield corner positions as well as having participated on special teams in football and competed on MVSU's golf team. In addition to hitting .323 with a pair of home runs during the 2010 season, he posted a 3-5 pitching record with 62 strikeouts in 61.1 innings pitched during 28 mound appearances as a senior for the Delta Devils.

Following his playing career, Aleman returned to the East Central campus in the fall of 2010 as an assistant on Holliman's coaching staff before then deciding to enter the corporate working world outside of athletics.

For the past four years, Aleman has channeled his competitive love for sports into an enthusiastic zeal as a dedicated softball coach within the Meridian-area travel ball and recreational ranks. This summer as a head coach in the West Lauderdale Youth Association's softball organization, the Collinsville resident guided the 12U East Mississippi All-Stars to an appearance in the Diamond Youth Softball World Series this past weekend in Laurel after claiming the district championship and advancing to the state championship game. This year, Aleman also served as the head coach of the 12U West Black squad during the team's regular season and tournament championship run. In addition, he has also coached 8U-14U travel softball for the past four years while having compiled an overall record of 201-100-9.

"Our path here at East Mississippi will consist of hard work, grit and determination," Aleman added. "I'm very eager and excited about getting the best student-athletes on campus and for all of us to begin our new journey together."

Wilkerson echoes the sentiments expressed by Coach Aleman with equal anticipation of EMCC's new softball era.   

"Coach Aleman's leadership and enthusiasm make us excited about the future of our program and the opportunities ahead for our student-athletes," EMCC's first-year AD emphasized.

Off the diamond with extensive telecommunications experience in outside plant (OSP) construction operations, Aleman's impressive 16-year advancement through the ranks has enabled him to become the director of operations for Meridian-based MasTec Network Solutions for the past four years. While serving the twin states of Mississippi and Alabama, Aleman remains responsible for in-house construction operations. Along with having been able to add internal crews in a short amount of time to accommodate the needs of local clients, he has also brought new clients on board while adding new markets for existing clients.

Following a 10-year stint working for Delta Directional Drilling, LLC, Aleman opened Trinity Construction, LLC in 2021 to provide services in the telecom OSP realm for local clients. Within the first year under Aleman's leadership, Trinity expanded from an initial 12 employees to 40 employees before the company was acquired by MasTec.

During his career-starting decade of service at Delta Directional Drilling, LLC, Aleman went from working as a labor hand in 2010 to quickly moving through the ranks to become division manager of the newly added fiber division by 2013. Over the next six years, he helped the fiber division become one of the strongest and dependable OSP contractors in the Southeast. In addition, Aleman increased employee count from 25 in 2013 to more than 125 employees while also bettering a $4 million annual revenue to $25-$30 million in revenue annually.

Having prepped at Glades Day School Gators in Belle Glade, Fla., Aleman is married to the former Kayla Johnson. They are the proud parents of three daughters – Chesney (11), Camila (8), and Tully Mae (4).