Southwestern Hire Mike Creason to Lead Spartan Baseball
Mike Creason, former Northwest Missouri State University assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator, is headed to Creston to lead the Spartan baseball program at Southwestern Community College.
Creason brings more than 20 years of coaching experience to the Spartans. He assisted under the direction of Northwest Head Coach Darin Loe from 2002 to 2024. Last year, following Loe's retirement from Northwest, he voluntarily assisted with Northwest softball.
Creason prides himself in making strong connections with coaches; therefore, being able to recruit high-level student-athletes, assisting them in furthering their academic and athletic careers and helping them become well-rounded individuals. Prior to coaching at Northwest, he played for the Bearcats, a part of the NCAA's highly competitive Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Conference. In 2018, he assisted in coaching the Bearcats to the MIAA regular season conference championship.
Cole Higgins, Southwestern athletic director, said Creason is a great fit for Spartan athletics.
"Mike's dedication to the student-athlete was apparent during the interview process," said Higgins. "He has the ambition and experience necessary to step into a head coaching role and we are excited to see him guide our baseball program. I am confident our college and communities will benefit from this hire."
The Bearcats had several offensive teams in the record books while Creason was a part of the Northwest coaching team. He has coached all-region and all-conference players, and coached several players who continued on to become professional athletes. From 2017 to 2019, he led the Crescent Beach Moonwalkers, a Carolina collegiate summer league team. The team won the league championship in 2018. During the summer of 2021, he coached in California for an FCA collegiate baseball team, the So Cal Shepherds.
As for the style of baseball Creason will bring to Southwestern, he said, "We will pride ourselves on showing up with energy and being ready to work every day. We will be competitors who work diligently to improve our skills. We will play fast, focus on pouring into others, embrace our roles, and fight until the very last out. All the while, enjoying the game we love and cherishing the opportunities baseball has given us."
Creason was impressed with the direction of Southwestern athletics during the interview process.
"I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to be the next head baseball coach at Southwestern Community College. After meeting with administration, other coaches and staff, I quickly realized there is a lot of passion for the college, students, and student-athletes. It was exciting to see and hear where Mr. Higgins vision is and the places he will take this athletic program, and I am honored to be a part of it."
Originally from Riverside, California, Creason earned an Associate of Arts degree from Victor Valley Community College in Victorsville, California; a bachelor's degree in corporate recreation from Northwest; and a master's degree in recreation administration from Northwest.