throwing an ace

Keep an eye this season on Derek Thompson, a senior right-hander at William Carey. Thompson beat Tougaloo today with a three-hit shutout, fanning seven over his seven innings of work. Thompson, from Mendenhall, is 5-0 in five starts for a Crusaders team that has won 11 games. Now that’s an ace. He also reduced his ERA to 1.57.
P.S. Back to the big leagues: Former Southern Miss star Jarrett Hoffpauir had a couple of hits for the St. Louis Cardinals today in a spring game that was televised on the MLB Network. Considering the Cardinals’ unsettled situation at second base, Hoffpauir may have a real shot at making the big club. He had a solid year at Triple-A Memphis in 2008, hitting .273.