Tag Archives: Hinds Community College

07 Oct

it’s a start

The fast track seems to suit Hunter Renfroe. The ex-Mississippi State standout got off to a smooth start today in the highly competitive Arizona Fall League, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI for the Surprise Saguaros. Renfroe, San Diego’s first-round pick in 2013, was bumped up to Double-A at midseason this year and hit .232 with five home runs and 23 RBIs for San Antonio in the Texas League. He batted .295 with 16 homers and 52 RBIs in high-A ball. The Padres need power hitters, and the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Renfroe, a natural right fielder, might not be far away. P.S. Before he became a highly successful high school coach, Jeff McClaskey was a pretty good player. The current Northwest Rankin High coach still holds a share of the career batting average record of .412 at Hinds Community College, which will honor McClaskey on Oct. 23 as part of its new Hall of Fame class. McClaskey played at Hinds in 1982 and ’83 before going on to Delta State, where he played for Boo Ferriss. About to begin his 25th year as coach at Northwest Rankin, McClaskey has 640 wins, 11 district titles and one state championship. … Also entering the HCC Hall is Rick Trusty, who set the Eagles’ single-season batting mark at .463 in 1975 and also hit .412 career. … Former Delta State star Eli Whiteside is a free agent again. The New Albany native, 34, who has bounced around the big leagues since 2005, spent most of this season at Triple-A Iowa in the Chicago Cubs system. He went 3-for-25 in his brief MLB stint.

06 Oct

thinking october

Dennis Boyd, better known as “Oil Can,” celebrates his 55th birthday today. The colorful and controversial Meridian native and ex-Jackson State star was a respectable 78-77 with a 4.04 ERA in 10 big league seasons, from 1982-91. His best year was 1986, when he won 16 games for the Boston Red Sox. Boyd won a game in the ’86 American League Championship Series against California but lost his only start in the World Series, which the BoSox infamously dropped in seven to the New York Mets. Boyd put a stain on his own career when he claimed in a recent biography that he frequently pitched under the influence of cocaine, even in 1986. … More deserving of an October shout out is Chad Bradford, the Jackson native of “Moneyball” fame. Bradford pitched in seven different postseasons for five different teams. In 23 1/3 innings over 24 appearances, he allowed one run. That’s a 0.39 ERA. In the October spotlight. Bradford made it to only one World Series and was on the losing end with Tampa Bay in 2008. The former Byram High, Hinds Community College and Southern Miss star put up a 3.26 ERA in 561 MLB games. He is now the pitching coach at HCC. … Another October achievement to marvel at was accomplished by Mississippi State product Will Clark. Clark was 29-for-62, a .468 batting average, in League Championship Series play. That’s a record by a wide margin for players with at least 50 LCS at-bats. Clark also came up short of winning a World Series ring. His only appearance in the Fall Classic came in 1989, when his San Francisco club lost to Oakland in the Earthquake Series.

12 Jun

on the honor roll

Kudos to Hinds Community College coach Sam Temple, who has been named NJCAA Region 23 coach of the year. Temple, a former Hinds and Delta State catcher in his ninth season in Raymond, led the Eagles to the MACJC Tournament title game, then to the Region 23 championship and ultimately to the NJCAA Division II World Series title game. Hinds finished 40-21. “It was so enjoyable, so much fun,” Temple said of the postseason run. “One of the biggest things for me was spending all that time with my guys. … I cherished that time.” The Eagles did not have any players named NJCAA All-America but did see freshman pitcher Casey Sutton make the Region 23 first team. Sutton, Matt Jones, Chase Lunceford and Luke Reynolds were MACJC first-team picks, and eight other Eagles made second team. Included was Marshall Boggs, who won the Best Hitter award at the juco World Series.

31 May

wow

Jackson State — No. 271 in the RPI — beats No. 1-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette 1-0 in the NCAA regionals at Lafayette, La., on Friday night. Biggest win in Tigers history. Definitely. … Hinds Community College beats Madison (Wis.) 12-6 in the NJCAA Division II World Series. The Eagles play for the national championship tonight against No. 1 Mesa (Ariz.). Only two Mississippi colleges have ever won national baseball titles: Delta State in 2004 and William Carey in 1969. … The Mississippi Braves sweep a doubleheader (7-0 and 7-0) from Pensacola — completing a sweep of the five-game series at Trustmark Park — and are now just 1 game back of first-place Mobile in the Southern League South.

29 May

a few atta boys

Toler Robinson of Pearl delivered a walk-off RBI double in the 13th inning on Wednesday night as Hinds Community College beat Madison (Wis.) 8-7 in the NJCAA Division II World Series. Austin Sanders of Madison worked four scoreless innings for the win. The Eagles are 4-0 in the tournament and play No. 1-ranked Mesa (Ariz.) in a semifinal round game today in Enid, Okla. … Mycal Jones got three hits, scored a run and drove in one as the Mississippi Braves beat Pensacola 5-4 in 13 innings at Trustmark Park. Jones is hitting .322 for the M-Braves, now 30-22 on the campaign. … JaCoby Jones, the former Mr. Baseball from Richton, went 3-for-6 with a home run, two runs and two RBIs for Class A West Virginia (Pittsburgh Pirates). Jones is batting .270 with six homers, 23 RBIs and 32 runs. … Tommy La Stella got two hits in his first major league game for Atlanta; the second baseman is the 85th M-Braves alumnus to advance to The Show. … Former M-Braves standout Brian McCann played flawlessly in his first pro start at first base and delivered two hits in a New York Yankees victory over St. Louis. … Jarrod Dyson, the ex-Southwest Mississippi CC star, stole two bases for Kansas City to boost his season total to nine. In limited playing time, Dyson is fourth in the Mississippians in MLB Stolen Base Race, trailing Billy Hamilton (18), Brian Dozier (12) and Desmond Jennings (11). … Last but certainly not least, T.J. House, the Picayune High product, worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing just one run on five hits with eight strikeouts and a walk in his second career MLB start for Cleveland. The Indians wound up losing 3-2 to the Chicago White Sox. P.S. Ex-Ole Miss pitcher Phil Irwin has been claimed on waivers by Texas (from Pittsburgh) and assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.

28 May

standing tall

It’s getting very interesting for Hinds Community College in the NJCAA Division II World Series. Only two unbeatens remain in the double-elimination tournament – and the Eagles are one of them. Half of the original 10-team field has been sent home, and another will be eliminated in today’s first game at Enid, Okla., when Mercer County (N.J.) plays Pasco-Hernando (Fla.). Hinds (38-19 overall, 3-0 in Enid) meets fellow unbeaten Madison (Wis.) in the second game. Hinds beat Pasco-Hernando 9-4 on Tuesday behind the brilliant pitching of freshman Houston Case (five-hit complete game) and homers from Matt Jones (his 10th) and Marshall Boggs. Madison, which has played only two games, had Tuesday off. The Wolfpack is 44-15. Keith Browning leads the hitters with a .372 average and 42 RBIs. The pitching staff has a 2.84 ERA for the season and has yielded just three runs in the tournament. For what it’s worth, Madison also has a lot of impressive history: eight juco World Series appearances and three national titles (the last in 1997). The Wolfpack finished third last year. Win or lose tonight, Hinds will play again on Thursday. Mesa (Ariz.) will play the Hinds-Madison winner.

27 May

senators vs. m-braves

On this date in baseball history, Carl Hubbell notched his 24th straight win, the oversized catcher’s mitt for knuckleballs debuted, a Boston-Cleveland game was fogged out – and, in central Mississippi, the Jackson Senators and Mississippi Braves played at home on the same day for the first time. The independent Senators, playing at Smith-Wills Stadium, and the Southern League’s M-Braves, playing at Trustmark Park in Pearl, coexisted for only one season — 2005. On May 27, a Friday, they went head-to-head for fans for the first time. The M-Braves drew an announced crowd of 5,747 — their biggest since opening day at the brand new TeePee — for a 9-4 loss to Montgomery. The Senators, who were in their fourth season, drew an announced crowd of roughly 2,500, which was much better than what they averaged that season (about 1,500). The Sens did win, however, beating Shreveport 2-1 in a 15-inning affair that ended after midnight. The Senators ceased operations after the 2005 season. P.S. Props to Jackson State for being the only four-year school in the state to win a conference tournament title. Condolences to the SWAC champs for drawing Louisiana-Lafayette — the No. 6 national seed and the No. 1 team in the country in Baseball America’s new poll — in the first round of the NCAA regionals. Nationally ranked Mississippi State and a surging San Diego State are also in the Lafayette Regional. JSU’s postseason figures to be short-lived. … Hinds Community College is 2-0 in the NJCAA Division II World Series and plays Pasco-Hernando (Fla.) State tonight in Enid, Okla.

26 May

next up for hinds

The skinny on Hinds Community College’s next opponent: Vincennes (Ind.) University’s Trailblazers can hit and they can run. Hinds gets back on the field today in a winner’s bracket game in the NJCAA Division II World Series at Enid, Okla. Vincennes, which knocked off No. 1 Mesa CC 9-4 in its opener on Saturday, features four regulars who are batting .398 or better, and the team has 30 triples and 117 stolen bases in 59 games. The Trailblazers (43-16) are making their second juco World Series visit. Their leading hitter is Lance Myers at .416, but the best all-around offensive player might be Robbie Doring (.406, five homers, 54 RBIs, 80 runs, seven triples and 24 steals). Hinds (36-19), playing in its fifth juco World Series, won its opener 14-11 over Lincoln Land CC, powered by Quade Smith (3-for-3, three walks, four runs, two RBIs) and Luke Reynolds (four RBIs). At .399, Reynolds is the Eagles’ top hitter.

21 May

bring ’em on

Hinds Community College’s first-round foe in the NJCAA Division II World Series will be Lincoln Land CC of Illinois. The Loggers are 44-15 and ranked 11th in the nation. Forgive the Eagles if they shrugged at those numbers. After all, Hinds had to get through the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the nation just to get to the 10-team national tournament, which begins Saturday in Enid, Okla. Hinds (35-19) beat top-ranked Jones County JC in the Region 23 title game at Ellisville last Saturday. Sam Temple’s Eagles, who also beat No. 2 LSU-Eunice (twice) in the regional, are in the Juco World Series for the fifth time but for the first time since 1999. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Hinds’ first World Series trip (see previous post). Casey Sutton, who beat Jones in the region finale to move to 8-2 for the year, is the Eagles’ likely starter in the opener. Austin Sanders notched his eighth save in the title game, and the Eagles got big hits from Casey Echols (son of former Mississippi State star Tracy Echols), Luke Reynolds and Caleb Upton.

08 May

a season to celebrate

This month marks the 25th anniversary of a very special occasion in the state’s baseball history. In May of 1989, Hinds Community College became the first Mississippi school to reach the Junior College World Series. But the story runs much deeper than just that fact. The 1989 season was the first since the merger of the predominantly white Raymond campus with the predominantly black Utica campus. The athletic programs also merged and were split up between the two campuses. Raymond got baseball. Hinds’ Rick Clarke remained the head coach, with Utica’s George McQuitter becoming his assistant. The players, heated rivals in 1988, were thrown into a blender. “It was a very, very difficult transition,” Clarke told The (Jackson) Clarion-Ledger years later. But a funny thing happened amid the tumult: The team started winning. Terre Woods, a former Utica player, had a monster season with the bat. Jeff Long, a Raymond player in 1988, set a team record for runs. Doug Thomas hit 16 homers. Mark Anders won 11 games and saved nine more. The Eagles rolled to an MACJC division championship, then claimed the state title, then the region and finally the district, which sent them on to the nationals at Grand Junction, Colo. They didn’t bring home a national crown, but they did blaze a trail to the Juco World Series that many Mississippi schools would follow. And, really, the ’89 Eagles did a lot more than that, taking a tough situation and turning it into something we can applaud 25 years later.