MGCCC announces 10 baseball signees
PERKINSTON – Mississippi Gulf Coast baseball coach Rodney Batts has announced 10 signees during the NJCAA signing period.
"I think it's a great class. There are some really talented players in this group," Batts said. "It fills a lot of needs for us at just about every position. We've got some really good arms in the group, some good infielders, some catchers. I think they're going to bring a lot of talent to our group."
He said the class' success should extend beyond the diamond.
"Other than being a good talented group, but I also think every one of them is a quality, class guy," Batts said. "I think they're good students. They're not only going to be good players for us, they're going to be good student-athletes."
2016 Baseball Signees |
| Player | Position | High school |
|---|---|---|
| Ty Barnes | RHP | Petal |
| Andrew Bird | RHP | D'Iberville |
| Beau Bratton | C | St. Patrick |
| Blaise Butirich | INF/RHP | St. Patrick |
| Jake Cowden | INF/RHP | Faith Academy (Mobile, Ala.) |
| Evan Harless | RHP | Bartlett (Tenn.) |
| Josh Lewis | INF/LHP | Theodore (Ala.) |
| Chase Lott | INF/OF | Biloxi |
| Logan McGrew | C | Sumrall |
| Dylan Menhennett | INF | Biloxi |
Ty Barnes, a pitcher, batted .293 for Petal last season. He went 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA, striking out 12 batters in 16.1 innings. Barnes was named to the D.M. Howie Mississippi High School All-Star South Team.
Andrew Bird, a pitcher, batted .298 last year for D'Iberville. He was 3-3 with a 2.90 ERA, striking out 37 batters in 38.2 innings. He played in the South Mississippi All-Star Classic Futures Game last season.
Beau Bratton, a catcher, batted .333 with two home runs in 15 games for St. Patrick as a junior. He played in the South Mississippi All-Star Classic Futures Game last season.
Blaise Butirich, an infielder/pitcher, batted .254 last season at St. Patrick. He was 3-0 with a 1.34 ERA, striking out 25 in 15.2 innings. He played in the South Mississippi All-Star Classic Futures Game last season.
Jake Cowden, an infielder/pitcher, batted .394 with 19 RBI in 25 games for Faith Academy in Mobile last season. He had a 1-0 record with a 1.11 ERA, striking out 12 in 12.2 innings.
Chase Lott, an infielder/outfielder, batted .368 as a junior at Biloxi, with a .431 on-base percentage. He played in the South Mississippi All-Star Classic Futures Game last season.
Logan McGrew, a catcher, batted .353 with 11 doubles and 22 RBI in 38 games last season at Sumrall. He was named Mississippi Association of Coaches Class 3A All-State Second Team.
Dylan Menhennett, an infielder, played for Biloxi last season. He played in the South Mississippi All-Star Classic Futures Game last season.
Evan Harless, a pitcher, was 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA while pitching behind three Division I pitchers on the depth chart at Bartlett (Tenn.) last season.
Josh Lewis, an infielder/pitcher, hit .424 with 22 RBI last year for Theodore (Ala.). He went 8-3 on the mound with a 1.68 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 62.1 innings. Lewis was named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 7A All-State second team as a junior.
The Bulldogs begin the 2016 season Feb. 5 against Jackson State Community College with the first of nine dates at MGM Park in Biloxi. Gulf Coast is building a new stadium on the Perkinston Campus, which requires playing its home games at non-campus locations for 2016.
The new stadium at Ken "Curly" Farris Field will be ready for the 2017 season.
For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
