01 Aug

summer stock

Keith Shumaker, a rising senior at Millsaps, is having a good summer in the Prospect League. The Brandon native is batting .294 with a homer, 29 RBIs and 20 runs in 50 games for Danville (Ill.) and made the collegiate summer league’s all-star game as a third baseman. He has also made four pitching appearances, posting an uncharacteristic 6.96 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. Shumaker batted .354 with three homers and 33 RBIs and went 6-1 with a 2.82 ERA on the mound for the 2014 Majors, who finished 23-19. He’ll again be the team’s centerpiece next spring. … Congratulations to the Tallahatchie Rascals, who won the New Albany-based Cotton States Baseball League title with a 14-6 record. The Rascals were coached by former Delta State All-American Andy Dillard, son of former big leaguer Steve Dillard. … Cooper Farris’ Wareham Gatemen will miss the Cape Cod League postseason for the second straight year after winning the title in 2012. Farris, the former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College coach, is in his 14th season in the Cape and has won three pennants. … DeSoto Central High star Austin Riley, a third baseman/pitcher, is slated to play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic on Aug. 10 in San Diego and in the Under Armour All-American Game in Chicago on Aug. 16. Riley, a Mississippi State commit, batted .465 with nine homers and went 8-3, 1.51 as a pitcher for DoSoto Central this past season.

02 Jul

jolting the memory

A familiar name popped up on the TV screen during a Cape Cod Baseball League game this afternoon: Wade Wass. As if on cue, Wass belted a grand slam to give Brewster a lead against Wareham. Oh yeah … Wass is the former Meridian Community College star who had a monster season for the Eagles in 2012, batting .427 with 23 home runs. He was drafted in the 13th round by Baltimore but chose to go to Alabama, where he redshirted with an injury in 2013. The 6-foot, 215-pound catcher/first baseman batted .302 with five homers for the Crimson Tide this season, helping the team make the NCAA Tournament. He wasn’t drafted last month. He can only help his 2015 stock by playing in the Cape, which is generally considered the best of the college summer circuits and draws flocks of scouts. … Incidentally, Wareham is coached by Cooper Farris, the former Mississippi Gulf Coast CC skipper who has spent many a summer in the CCBL. Wareham’s shortstop today was Ole Miss’ Errol Robinson.