Twins' Defensive Player of the Year to headline Leadoff Banquet

Twins' Defensive Player of the Year to headline Leadoff Banquet
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com

FULTON, MS – Minnesota Twins second baseman Brian Dozier will be the featured guest at the 2014 Itawamba Community College Leadoff Banquet on Friday, January 31 at the Dr. David C. Cole Student Services Building.

"We are very excited to have Brian be our speaker at this year's Leadoff Banquet," said Coach Rick Collier. "He's a great guy and one of the highest ranked second basemen in the Majors. I know our guys are really excited to hear him talk about what goes on in the MLB."

The preseason banquet will being with a silent auction at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. and the start of the program at 6:30 p.m. Individual tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling Coach Collier at 662-862-8118.

The Fulton native was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the eighth round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of the University of Southern Mississippi. He was named the 2011 Twins Minor League Player of the Year before being called up in May of 2012.

This past season, he set a club record for home runs by a second baseman with 18, and ranked third among American League second basemen in extra-base hits with 55.

Dozier was named the Twins' 2013 Wilson Defensive Player of the Year. In his first season as a second baseman, his .992 fielding percentage was tied for fourth among qualified second basemen in the Majors. He also ranked first in assists with 461, third in putouts with 267, and second in double plays turned with 99. He also received the Charles O. Johnson Award given to the team's Most Improved Player along with the Mike Augustin "Media Good Guy" Award as selected by the Twin Cities chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

His MLB career totals include: .240 batting average, .297 on-base percentage, .384 slugging percentage, 210 hits, 105 runs, 44 doubles, five triples, 24 home runs, 99 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 874 at-bats.  

During his career at Southern Miss (2006-09), he earned Freshman All-American honors and was selected to the C-USA All-Freshman Team. He hit .355 with 55 doubles, seven triples, and 16 home runs with 152 runs batted in. In 2009, he helped guide the Golden Eagles to the College World Series in his final season in Hattiesburg.

Dozier was a two-time MHSAA All-State selection and was named the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Player of the Year as a member of the Itawamba AHS baseball team. 

Recent speakers include Saltillo native and NJCAA Player of the Year Tim Dillard and Jonathan Van Every, two former Indians that made it to the big leagues, along with Shannon native and former Houston Astros skipper Dave Clark, Texas Ranger Mitch Moreland, and Mississippi State associate head coach and former ICC pitcher Butch Thompson.  

For more information on ICC baseball, follow ICC Athletics on Twitter (@LetsGoICC).