2011-2012 Baseball
“I’m proud for both these guys,” said Collier. “These are two players that will make an immediate impact and help improve the team with their talent and leadership. William Carey got two big steals today by adding guys of this caliber to their roster.”
“Chris played third base for us in just about every game this past season,” said ICC head baseball coach Rick Collier. “He is an exceptional hitter spending most the season in the four or five hole of our lineup. I feel like he will be able to go down to William Carey and contribute to the team right away next season.”
Jake Smithey (Pontotoc) and Zack Randolph (Amory) earn NJCAA Academic Student-Athlete Awards.
“We are very excited about getting Jacob,” said Collier. “He’ll add a lot to our line-up and is a good catcher that could also play some at third base and in the outfield. We are just excited about having a player like him on the roster for next season.”
“It’s a great honor and I give all the glory to God,” said Hudspeth. “I’m really excited about being an All-American, but it’s not just about me because none of this would have been possible without my teammates and coaches being behind me all year.”
Sophomore catcher and Mississippi State signee Zack Randolph (Amory) Zack Randolph, sophomore first baseman and designated hitter Jake Smithey (Pontotoc), freshman pitcher Ben Hudspeth (Tupelo) and freshman outfielder Cody Shrewsbury (Tupelo) earned All-State honors for the Indians.
The Itawamba Community College baseball team saw their season come to an end one game short of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 championship game after the Hinds Community College Eagles rallied to eliminate the Indians with a 3-2 win in the semifinal round of the tournament.
"I'm not going to make any excuses," said ICC head coach Rick Collier. "Eunice is a good team and they proved why the are considered the best team in the country. We didn't play our best baseball and you have to play a perfect game against a team like they have."
The Indians (39-11) avenged a 16-5 loss to No. 14 Hinds Eagles (34-17) in last week's state tournament with a 5-2 win in the opening game of the tournament in Eunice, Louisiana.
The Itawamba Community College baseball team will hit the road for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 Tournament Wednesday morning to make the nearly ten-hour journey to Eunice, Louisiana.
In the No. 7 Indians (38-11) first game of the day, No. 20 Hinds (33-16) scored 14 runs with two outs in the top of the sixth inning to send ICC to the elimination bracket with a 16-5 victory in seven innings.
The three-day, double-elimination tournament will be held Thursday, May 10 through Saturday, May 12 at Roy Cresap Field as four teams vie for spots in next week's National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 Tournament hosted by LSU-Eunice.
"Austin has been one of the big keys in the success of our program over the past three years," said Hamilton baseball coach Lewis Earnest. "He had an outstanding sophomore and junior years and is having another great year for us this season. I feel like his success will carry over next season and he'll be able to do some big things for Coach Collier and his program."
While the majority of college students were on the first day of Spring Break, the ICC Indians were locked in a non-division battle with the East Central Warriors. The double header wasn't of the normal variety as game one was a nine inning affair while game two was set to be the normal seven.
In 2003, the Saltillo native help lead the Indians to a No. 5 ranking and the program's highest finish in the NJCAA World Series to earn NJCAA National Player of the Year honors.
Former ICC Indian standouts Jake Sloan (Hatley) and Ladarrius Cole (Nettleton) have been named to the initial watch list for the 2012 Tino Award for the most outstanding player in DII college baseball.