trophy hunting

The season-ending injury suffered by Southern Miss shortstop Brian Dozier this week not only takes a key player out of the Eagles’ lineup but also knocks him out of the race for the Ferriss Trophy. Dozier would have been a leading candidate for the state’s top amateur baseball award; he led USM in RBIs and runs and was hitting close to .400 when he went down. Out of sight the rest of the season, he’ll likely be out of mind when the voting takes place in the coming weeks. Ole Miss pitcher Scott Bittle, the 2008 Ferriss winner, may be the odds-on favorite to win again now. At last look, Bittle had three wins, three saves, a sub-2.00 ERA and was blowing away hitters again on a regular basis. Jordan Henry leads the Rebels in hitting, runs and steals, but his numbers don’t have the sizzle of Bittle’s. USM’s Bo Davis is hitting .450 with pop, and Mississippi State’s Connor Powers has some good power numbers, as well. They’ll warrant some consideration. Jackson State’s top hitter is Marvin McWhorter, who’s hovering at .400, and pitcher Ajammi Davis is 7-0 with a save as a starter and reliever. There are some viable candidates in the small school ranks. Bo Bell is raking at a record pace at Mississippi College. Sluggers Will Hawkins and Hunter Owen and lights-out reliever Boomer Hudson have led Millsaps to the No. 1 ranking in Division III. Belhaven has a two-way star in Craig Westcott and a big bopper in Timmy Foster. Derek Thompson’s arm has helped William Carey surge into first place in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. But Bittle will be starting so many big games for the Top 25-ranked Rebels down the stretch, he’ll get ample attention from the scouts who vote for the Ferriss Trophy. If he produces as he has to this point, he’ll win the award again.
P.S. Whatever Cliff Lee does for the rest of his career, it’s unlikely it’ll top the significance of his accomplishment on Thursday. The former Meridian Community College star, pitching for Cleveland, beat the New York Yankees in the first game in the new Yankee Stadium. Baseball people remember stuff like that. Forever.