Getting to Know: Rascals’ Corbin Moore

When recruiting for his outfield, Rascals head coach Chris Basil went to a good friend and fellow high school coach, selecting Corbin Moore from Batesville.

“I got Corbin on draft day. He played for a good coach and a friend of mine, Patrick Robey at South Panola,” Basil explained. “He comes from a winning program, and when I talked to his coach that day, he said he is a tremendous kid who loves to play the game, so I really wanted him. “

Moore, a 2009 graduate from South Panola High, struggled early on in the Cotton States season, but has improved, now batting .400.

 “At this level, he’s playing very well. He struggled early on, striking out his first four at bats, but he’s had three or four big hits for us, and won a ball game for us, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do for us the rest of the year,” Basil said.

Moore is 6-for-15 so far on the year with a .471 on base percentage, something he hopes will improve throughout the summer before starting at Mississippi Delta 

Community College in the fall.

“My main goal for the summer in this league is just to work on my hitting and batting,” Moore said.

You can watch Moore and the rest of the Rascals throughout the summer in the BNA Bank Cotton States League, held at the New Albany Sportsplex.

An experience like no other

One of my favorite parts about baseball happens before the game even starts. For as long as I can remember, I have loved watching the guys prepare the field, lining, hosing down the infield, whatever. My friends and I constantly admire the work done by those men, so when I had an opportunity to join the field crew at the New Albany Sportsplex for a game, I took it, as I finally had my chance to see and experience first hand what goes into preparing the field for the game.

Much to my surprise, I was welcomed by the field crew with open arms and a very noticeable neon green, yellowish shirt. “It’s all part of the uniform,” I told myself, although I am convinced if anyone looks directly at this shirt in the sunlight without protective eyewear, they will go blind.

Another part of the uniform: sneakers. Now for anyone who knows me or has at least seen me running around at games this past year, I wear two types of shoes: heels and flip-flops. Needless to say, I had to dust off my old marching band shoes for this adventure, but for the record, I have discovered I own a heel that perfectly matches the neon shirt.

Upon arriving at the field, I meet the guys I will be working with, all of which have creative nicknames. Cody (Slap) and Cole (Cole) Wilkerson are cousins who share the family connection working together, while Matthew (Moby) Carter and Austin (Train) Epting were teammates at East Union. We all watch as the Rascals and Thunder take batting practice before their doubleheader, then at 5:30 the players clear the field and we begin our work.

Introducing the Crew

30 minutes. That is about how long the field crew has to clear everything off from batting practice in preparation for the game. Several things happen in this time, as the batting cage and pitching mound have to be removed (those are really heavy, by the way), as well as dragging, watering and lining the field. There’s a lot of running involved, but with a staff as experienced as this one, they made a crisis (not having the right attachment for the hose) look easy.

Cody Wilkerson has worked in this profession for several years, starting at Snowden Grove Park in Southaven.

“I’ve worked with Scotty Baker, who is over USSSA, and I worked there for probably two years doing field crew there,” Cody said. “I ended up moving back toward this way. I live in Booneville now, and I got back into working out here, as my uncle helped me get the job here about six years ago.”

Cody’s uncle, Steve Wilkerson, is the father of Cole, who has worked at the Sportsplex the longest out of the group.

“I enjoy being outdoors. It’s better than being cramped behind a desk, and I’m able to be around sports a lot,” Cole said. “We both really enjoy sports, and it’s just fun to be around baseball.”

Both Epting and Carter were teammates at East Union, and have used an opportunity given to them by Epting’s father, Johnny, to the fullest.

“I’ve been working here for four years. Johnny Epting hired me, and I’m thankful to him for having a job up here,” Carter said. “I’ve been working weekends and tournaments, dragging and getting fields ready, and it’s all good experience for a future job.”

These guys have done it all, from dragging to watering and lining the field, which brought me to the one question I have always wondered: why do they water the field before the game? Cody, who was terrified of my recorder, had a very educated response to this.

“Watering down the field keeps the dust on the field and keeps it from going everywhere. Usually it’s easier for umpires, because they like it when it’s wet, so it’s not so dusty,” he explained. “It also makes the field look better, and it’s easier for when we’re dragging the field in between innings with the tracks. It makes it lighter for us, because if you don’t have wet dirt out there, it’s rougher when you’re pulling the field because it’s dry.”

Makes sense. Now for the challenging part: will I be able to handle this job?

The Big Test

Train and Moby went first to break down and drag the batting cage, as Slap and I set up the hose for him to water the infield. For everyone’s amusement, I also dragged some big thing that weighed more than me to the outfield. Then came the best part.

Call me a dork, but I have always wanted to line the infield, or at least just the batter’s box. 

Cole coached me, as I did this, probably with a huge grin on my face the entire time. Once the field was lined and watered, all the equipment was packed up, and we assumed our spot just beyond the left field fence, where we would wait to rake the infield after the second and fourth innings.

That’s it! Seems simple enough, but it is actually a lot of hard work to keep the field looking good day after day. For my hard work, not only did I have the honor of throwing out the first pitch at that game, but I was also rewarded with a nickname by the field crew- “Little Z.”

I can now say that I know what it takes to be a part of the field crew for a baseball game, and it was definitely a great experience. Thanks to everyone at the Sportsplex (Kevin Crawford, Steve Wilkerson, Johnny Epting), but most of all to Slap, Cole, Moby and Train for putting up with and letting me live out this dream, as well as Screenco for the shirt.

Throughout this month, I will have a few more experiences like this, so check back each week to see what I am up to next.

Rascals, CSBL north sweep south teams

Tallahatchie had a successful showing against the Cotton States south teams, defeating the PSA Dodges 10-1 and the PSA Padres 13-4.

David Williams went 3-for-3 with three RBI versus the Dodgers on Saturday, as the Rascals capitalized on six Dodger errors.

Williams scored the first run on a wild pitch in the second, while John Stephens scored later on a Dodger error, giving the Rascals the early 2-0 lead.

Tallahatchie would score another three runs in both the third and fifth innings, while the Dodgers picked up their lone run in the third.

Brad Luna (1-0) picked up the win, pitching a complete game with four strikeouts.

The Rascals had another big day at the plate Sunday, defeating the Padres 13-4. Tallahatchie had 16 hits in the win, as M.J. McWhorter went 2-for-4, while Tyler Wilson had three RBI.

After going ahead 3-1, the Padres tied the game in the fourth inning. Tallahatchie would respond, scoring 10 runs over the fifth and sixth innings to take the win.

Chris Lucius’ double in the fifth gave the Rascals the 5-3 lead after McWhorter scored earlier on a single by John Stephens. Ben Wallis also had an RBI double in the sixth.

Austin Anderson (1-1) had the win for Tallahatchie, giving up two runs off three hits in three innings of work. Zane Treadaway started the game, allowing two Padre runs off one hit, while Jon Andy Scott closed the game, pitching the final inning.

The Rascals will be in action twice this week, against the Dealers Tuesday night and the Jets Thursday. Both games will be nine-inning affairs, slated for a 6:30 p.m. start.

 (Note: All CSBL North teams won their respective inner-league games over the weekend for the 8-0 sweep of the CSBL South.)

Saturday, June 27

Tallahatchie 10 PSA Dodgers 1

North Delta 14 Dodgers 1 

Tupelo 8 PSA Padres 4

Tupelo 6 Padres 2

Sunday, June 28

GT 5 PSA Red Sox 0

GT 1 Red Sox 0

Tallahatchie 13 Padres 4

North Delta 5 Padres 3

Ready for Football

I, like so many others, am anxiously awaiting football season. While surfing New Albany High’s website earlier (www.nabulldogs.com), I came across their varsity schedule for the 2009 season. According to my calculations (I’ve never been good at math), there are 46 days until “Meet the Bulldogs” and 60 until opening kickoff. Below is the complete schedule:

Aug 14th, 2009 MEET THE BULLDOGS! New Albany Jamboree NAHS vs. Alcorn Central 

Aug 21st, 2009 (Fri) 7:30 PM  New Albany Classic NAHS vs. Booneville 

Aug 28th, 2009 (Fri) 7:30 PM  NAHS @ Ripley

Sep 4th, 2009 (Fri) 7:30 PM  NAHS @ Corinth

Sep 11th, 2009 (Fri) 7:30 PM NAHS vs. Baldwyn 

Sep 18th, 2009 (Fri) 7:30 PM NAHS vs. Independence 

Sep 25th, 2009 (Fri) 7:30 PM  NAHS @ M.S. Palmer

Oct 2nd, 2009 (Fri) 7:00 PM NAHS vs. Pontotoc Homecoming 

Oct 9th, 2009 (Fri) 7:00 PM  NAHS @ Itawamba

Oct 16th, 2009 (Fri) 7:00 PM  NAHS vs. North Pontotoc Band Night 

Oct 23rd, 2009 (Fri) 7:00 PM  NAHS vs. Shannon Senior Night 

Oct 30th, 2009 (Fri) 7:00 PM  NAHS @ Tishomingo County

FYI: Even though I’m on vacation this week, I’ll still be updating, as the Gazette will be filled with interesting features. Be sure to pick up a copy as we’re also debuting our new layout, which is pretty awesome considering how outdated the last one was.

Getting to Know: Rascals’ 2B/SS Brancy Cummins

Brancy Cummins drives a long way to play for the Tallahatchie Rascals. The Delta State senior hales from Drew, Mississippi, a good two-plus hours from New Albany.

“It’s a good drive for me to get here for every game, but it’s definitely worth it,” Cummins laughed.

A graduate of North Sunflower Academy, Cummins went straight to Delta State, but was not a member of the Statesmen’s squad until this past season.

“I didn’t play the first year, but I worked in the baseball department,” Cummins explained. “Coach asked me to try out, and I did and have been playing ever since.”

Cummins batted .500 in nine games for the Statesmen in 2009, with a .917 fielding percentage, a statistic that led Rascals head coach Chris Basil to sign him.

“I needed a middle infielder bad, so I talked to one of his graduate assistants about him, and he said that Brancy is a kid who loves to play the game,” Basil said. “He’s struggled with the bat, but he’s very good defensively, and as a coach, that’s what you look at up the middle. You could care less what kind of offensive performance they give you, if the guy can play the infield or up the middle, that’s what you need.”

So far this summer, Cummins has an .833 fielding percentage with only four errors. As for his offensive game, he is getting used to the wooden bats and trying to find his swing.

“The wood bats are a little different, but we’re getting the hang of it,” Cummins said. “It’s not hard to adjust to it, it’s just you’re not looking forward to that day where you break out of aluminum, so you know every day you’re going to use it, but it’s not that big a deal.”

Cummins has enjoyed playing in the CSBL so far, and loves the opportunity to continue playing while preparing for next season.

“I like it because it’s completely different from school ball, but it’s still nothing you can take for granted, which is good because it’s getting you ready for the season, and you can have fun while you’re doing it,” Cummins said.

Something else he is getting used to is playing against his Delta State teammates, Brent Hallmark (Jets), Cody Kelly (Dealers), Patrick Strack (Dealers) and Brandon Hall (Dealers),

“It’s fun to be able to play against them throughout the summer,” Cummins said.

Cummins is taking after his coach and learning from his work ethic in the league.

“I like his winner attitude, and I like the way he gets on the umpires and how he wants to win every game,” Cummins said of his coach. “He’s not here just to take up his time, he’s here to work and to help us get better, and I think he might learn a little bit himself.”

You can watch Cummins and the rest of the Rascals all summer in the BNA Bank Cotton States League, held at the New Albany Sportsplex.

NAHS names John Walker new baseball coach

The New Albany School District announced the hiring of John Walker as the Bulldogs’ new head coach Wednesday. Walker will replace Curt Fowler, who served at the helm for approximately 10 years before stepping down after the 2009 season to take the head coaching position at Blue Mountain College.

“We had a lot of quality candidates for this position and it was a tough decision,” NAHS principal Jay Foster said. “John Walker stood out because of his experience at Delta State, and he was highly recommended by their head coach, Mike Kinnison. We would like to thank Coach Fowler for the job he has done and for his dedication. He has given us a surge and made us very proud of this program.”

Walker comes to New Albany after serving as an assistant at Delta State University this past season. Receiving both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from DSU, Walker worked with the outfielders and hitters for the Statesmen, who picked up two Gulf South Conference West Division Championships, as well as a GSC Tournament Championship and South Central Regional runner-up during his tenure.

“John Walker has had recent experience with Delta State, which is an outstanding baseball program, and I’ve heard nothing but good things from their staff about his baseball knowledge, work ethic and enthusiasm,” New Albany Superintendent Chuck Garrett said. “He has great experience working with young men and I think he’ll do a great job with our program.”

Before pursuing his graduate degree, Walker started his coaching career in the Water Valley School District, where he was the assistant varsity baseball coach from 2003-07. During this time, the Blue Devils were state runner-up and north half champions in 2006, while picking up regional championships from 2005-07. In 2004, Walker served as interim head coach, as the Blue Devils were the regional runner-up that year.

Walker also served as an assistant coach for WVHS’ football and basketball programs, as well as the head coach for the junior high basketball team and assistant for junior high football.

Currently, Walker works as an assistant coach for the North Delta Dealers in the BNA Bank Cotton States League.

“John brings a lot of energy with him,” Foster explained. “We think he will have a strong work ethic and will really push our players to be successful.”

Rascals split doubleheader with Tupelo Thunder

Tallahatchie may not be leading in many categories on paper, but they are leading the important ones, after picking up a win Monday night versus the Tupelo Thunder.
The Thunder entered Monday night’s double header the league leaders at the plate, batting .289 and tied with North Delta for most runs with 39.
Chris Basil’s squad is third in batting, but said it is the important hits that have them at a league best 6-2.
“We’re leading in some categories, including, before tonight, base on balls and we have the best fielding percentage in the league (.765),” Basil explained. “We don’t have the best batting average, but we’re getting the hits when we need them and to win games.”
Both teams squared off and went to extra innings in the first game of the double header, as the Rascals were able to hold off a late rally by the Thunder, defeating them 7-4 in eight innings.
The Rascals picked up their first three runs in the second, as a single by Tyler Wilson brought in Chris Lucius, while M.J. McWhorter had an RBI single, bringing in Drew Dillard and Craig Bullock.
Down 4-1 in the sixth, the Thunder would have three runs to tie the game, as Tupelo would load the bases after the Rascals changed pitchers. A fielder’s choice and a passed ball would bring in two of the runs after Jon Andy Scott walked Tyler Vuncannon with bases loaded.
Tallahatchie would waste no time in extra innings, as Dillard started the inning with a single and was scored on a double by Wilson. Wilson ended the night 2-for-5 with two RBI. Colby Maxwell singled, bringing Wilson home, while Ben Wallis got the RBI, bringing McWhorter home on a ground out to second.
Scott (3-0) picked up the win for the Rascals, while Dillard went 2-for-3 and McWhorter 3-for-4 to lead Tallahatchie’s offense.
Tupelo responded in game two, picking up the 5-4 win. Similar to game one, the Rascals jumped to the early lead, going ahead 2-0 after an RBI double by McWhorter plated Wilson, who reached on a fielder’s choice.
Dillard had a double in the second, followed by a single by Wilson that scored Dillard, making it 3-0 after the second inning.
Tupelo answered in the fourth, scoring two runs, then took the lead in the sixth after loading the bases. Vuncannon walked, bringing in a run, and a single by Ladarrius Cole brought in two runs.
Austin Anderson (0-1) had the loss for the Rascals, pitching a complete game, giving up five runs off as many hits. McWhorter led Tallahatchie’s offense, going 2-for-4 in the game.
Inner-league play will take place this weekend, as the Rascals and Dealers will host two teams from the Cotton States League South Division at Legion Field.
” Honestly, we’re just going to see what they have and see if we can compete with those guys down there like we do with the guys up here,” Basil said. “I think it will be interesting for the league, especially the next couple of years, it’s going to be awesome.”

Blackhawks eye another county title

Summer baseball is in full swing, and one local team is looking and working toward the future of the sport at Myrtle.
The Myrtle Blackhawks U9 team were organized four years ago by Tim Maharrey and Robert Gordon with the hopes of keeping the kids together on the same traveling team.
“We wanted to keep all of our kids in Union County,” Maharrey said. “They all go to school together and play together, so we thought why not start this and keep them together. So far they’ve done real well.”
Along with assistant coaches Wesley Bishop and Mitch Cook, the Blackhawks were first a coach pitch team, moving up to kid pitch this year. Ranked 19th in the state, they were the only team from the county playing in last weekend’s USSSA State Tournament at the New Albany Sportsplex.
“Last year they would get blown out in coach pitch, now they’re only losing by one or two runs,” Maharrey explained of his team’s improvement. “They got their first win a couple weeks ago, and they were really happy about it.”
The experience of playing USSSA ball shows when the Blackhawks return to play in the county league, as a win Monday night would give them their fifth straight county title. The success of the youth will help in the future, as Gordon is looking to these athletes as the future of his high school team.
“When you see these traveling teams, a lot of them are from all different schools. That’s good to build relationships with other schools, but we were thinking about the long haul of this,” Gordon explained. “Over the years, through the years, it’s going to make them better, so we decided to keep them together, build with what we have and build for the future of Myrtle.”
Be sure to pick up this Friday’s New Albany Gazette to see not only the Blackhawks, but every little league team in Union County in the little league special section.

The final feature is….

Training for cross county with two-time state champion Austin Epting. Oh yeah!

This guarantees I will have my butt kicked into shape by the end of the summer.

And an update-the evening as a member of the field crew at the Sportsplex was AMAZING! Thanks to Kevin Crawford, Steve Wilkerson, Johnny Epting and the entire crew (including my new friends Slap, Moby, Cole and Train).

Be looking for this story in the July 1 issue of the Gazette!

Union County-Beware!

I’ve been given the green light on a project that I’m very excited about. Throughout July I will be taking part in different activities and writing about my experience.

Scary, right?

Obviously the focus of the story will be on the people I’m hanging out with, but the funny side will be me trying my hand at some pretty awesome stuff.

Here’s the tentative schedule for the features:

July 1-3 I will be a member of the field crew for a baseball game at the New Albany Sportsplex. We’re going to find out what all it takes to get the field looking beautiful for every game of the Cotton States League.

July 8-10 Fishing! I’m going out with a Union Countian to not only learn how to fish, but also how to gut one (this should be interesting).

July 15-17 Softball– I’m going to hang out with one of the local softball teams and try my hand at hitting against some of the fast pitch pitchers in the county. In other words, I’m going to be schooled by some junior high kids.

July 22-24 Golf– This one will be fun! I have always wanted to learn how to golf, but have never had the time. This is especially sad because I live on a golf course, so I really have no excuse. The plan is to get together with the county golf coaches for some lessons.

July 29-31 ???? You decide. I’m taking opinions for the final week. I have something in mind, but I have to verify before I can make it official.

So keep checking back for what’s sure to be some hilarious stories!