NATCHEZ — Scott Berry had never stopped in Natchez before, but he wasn’t unfamiliar with the town.

Thanks to reading Greg Iles novels such as “The Devil’s Punchbowl” and “Turning Angel,” the Southern Mississippi baseball coach knew a little bit about Natchez.

When Berry was in town for the Southwest Mississippi USM Alumni Chapter meeting at the Natchez Coffee Company Nov. 11, he said he came away very impressed with the town.

“I had passed through Natchez a couple of times, but I never stopped,” he said. “It was neat seeing places like King’s Tavern being able to associate it with what I read about.”

Berry also learned something new during his visit, he said.

“I didn’t realize the town was as big as it was,” Berry said. “Seeing downtown and how it’s been renovated, I thought it was a very pretty place. You just feel the history driving through there.”

The second-year baseball coach at Southern Miss gave local alumni the chance to meet someone in charge of a program they follow, he said.

“I was there representing Southern Miss and giving them an update about what to expect this season,” Berry said. “I just wanted them to get a feel and meet me.”

Being able to relate to the fans is something he feels like is important to the fanbase, Berry said.

“I’ve always had an open door policy,” he said. “There are a lot of fine people who I work for and who follow Southern Miss, and I don’t want there to be any fence between us.

“I want people to feel closeness to the program and not have questions about what’s going on. I want to invite them to sit on the bus and let them enjoy the ride with us.”

As far as Southern Miss’ upcoming season in the spring, Berry said he felt like his team had good balance between pitching and position players.

“The big tale is going to be how we’ll hold up injury-wise,” he said. “I think we’re in pretty good shape.”

There will be several new faces to the team, and some players switching positions, but Berry said he’s not worried about everyone being able to adjust.

“Every year brings new challenges, but that’s just part of being a coach,” Berry said.