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This page recognizes outstanding individual performances through the years. This is a on-going page updated on a regular basis.
Chad Bradford pitched 192 2/3 innings between 2007 and 2009 with the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays and earned $10,499,999.00. That’s $54,404.14…… per inning. (before taxes).
Steve Bourgeois pitched for the San Francisco Giants during the 1996 season when Barry Bonds became the first National Leaguer and second Major Leaguer to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in season.
Chad Bradford gave up Manny Ramirez’ 500th home run on May 31, 2008. Ramirez became the 24th ML to hit 500 home runs. It was described as “a majestic solo shot to right center” at Baltimore’s Camden Yards.
During the record setting 1989 season at Hinds, the dynamic due of Terre Woods and Noah James, one batting third and the other batting fourth, combined to hit .389 (115 hits in 399 at bats), scored 97 runs, hit 24 doubles, 7 triples, 31 home runs, had 145 RBI, and stole 36 bases.
Josh Clarke pitched 21 2/3 innings allowing 1 run, picked up 2 wins and a save in 4 games for Clinton against Northwest Rankin and Tupelo in the 2008 state playoffs. He helped Clinton defeat NWR for the first time ever in a 9 inning game with 11 K’s and shut out Tupelo 8-0 in the opening game of the North Mississippi championship series.
Kevin Williams (Magnolia Academy) hit .441 with 9 doubles, 7 home runs and 47 runs batted in for my first Hinds team in 1984.
Glen Higdon (Jackson St. Joseph) was 13-3 with a Hinds team record 0.95 ERA in 110 innings pitched for Bill Marchant‘s only season at Hinds in 1983. The 13 wins is also a record at Hinds, along with Chad Bradford (1995).
Lee Toney (McCluer Academy) batted .525 and hit a team record 25 home runs and 83 RBI for Danny Neely‘s last Hinds team in 1982.
Josh Wren (Central Hinds Academy) batted .453 during the 1998 season at Hinds. He hit a team record 20 doubles (36 career), 4 triples and 5 home runs in one of the best offensive seasons in Hinds history.
Mark Stancel (Manhattan Academy) was a 7th round draft selection for the Oakland A’s in the the MLB January, 1986 draft. He played 5 minor league seasons for the A’s organization.
Joe Adams (Clinton High School) stole a team record 40 bases for Hinds in 1986. He stolen 56 bases in his two seasons at Hinds.
Kelly Dickinson (Lufkin (TX) High School) a great lead-off hitter and centerfielder, hit .425 with 20 doubles and 18 stolen bases leading Hinds to a first state championship in 37 years. He was chosen Hinds Player of the Year, and also was an All-State and All Region 23 selection.
In 1992, right-hander Steve Bourgeois started both games of a doubleheader against Southwest Mississippi. He went the distance in each 5 inning game, was the winning pitcher in each, and struck out 24 hitters on the day.
Chad Bradford (Byram High School) started 17 games during the 1995 season and completed 15 on his way to setting a Hinds single season record 125 innings pitched, 13 wins, and 117 strikeouts. The sidewinder broke 5 of his opponent’s aluminum bats during that season.
Jeff Long of Clinton reached base 110 times and scored a HCC record 72 runs in 54 games as the Eagle lead-off hitter during the 1989 season. He hit .348 and stole 26 bases. Long finished third overall in batting average in the 1989 JUCO World Series, hitting .571.
Former Wingfield star Mason Chastain slugged a pair of home runs for five RBI’s to give Hinds an 11-6 victory over St. Louis (MO) Community College – Forest Park. and send the Eagles back to the D-2 World Series in 1999. He hit a two run shot in a seven-run second inning and a three run shot in the four-run sixth, which went so far into the woods that it was never seen again.
Terre Woods (1989) was the first Hinds baseball player to be named All-American. Other HCC All-Americans include Todd Mardis (1991), Chad Bradford, (1995), Andre Thompson (1995), and Jason Cochran (1997).
Southpaw Zach Ball (Florence High School) after pitching poorly earlier in the day against Co-Lin in the ’98 Region 23 tourney at Wesson, made the best of second chances by striking out 13 Northwest Rangers in a 6-3 Hinds win that put the Eagles in the championship game. The 13 k’s set a single game record….one of the best single game pitching performances ever for HCC.
Noah James (Rip) (Hammond, LA) hit .375, 19 home runs and drove in 75 runs in Hinds 1989 history making team.
Jeremy Dixon and Andre Thompson played in more career games than any other players in Hinds history…..104. Shandell Lockridge played in the most games in a single season…..57.
Single-season home run hitters for Hinds: Lee Toney– 25 (33 career), Noah James– 19, Jason Cochran-18, Doug Thomas– 16, Doug Newman– 15
Billy Williams (Spud) dropped a perfect pinch-hit squeeze bunt to beat Lamont Echol’s Brandon Academy Rebels 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh inning as Magnolia Academy tied Brandon for the South Central Conference Championship in 1977.
Stan Prewitt hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning as Magnolia beat Parklane 4-2 to win the AA South Mississippi in 1979.
Rod Hudson hit a monster home run over the lights at Brandon Academy in 1977 and then another home in run that bounced off the center fielder’s glove for a home run.
Steven Dickey was 16-2 and struck out 154 batters in 113 innings for Magnolia Academy as the Raiders became the first Mississippi High School baseball team to win 40 games in a season in 1981. Offensively, he batted .423, had 66 hits, and incredible 69 RBI, with 24 doubles.
Jeff McClaskey had one of the best seasons ever for the Raiders in 1981. In 45 games, he hit a team high .446, reached base 113 times (.667 OBP), scored 77 runs, hit 5 home runs, walked 40 times, stole 36 bases, and played an error-less center field.
Magnolia Raiders pitchers Ricky Chisolm, Tim McMillian, Shannon Rast, and Steven Dickey pitched four consecutive and 5 out of 6 shutouts in the state championship series against Greenville Christian in 1979, Humphreys in 1980, and Kirk in 1981.
Ricky Chisolm pitched a no- hitter in a 10-0 win for Magnolia Academy over Jackson Prep in 1978. Robby Stevens had a double and two home runs. Rob Harrell doubled and homered.
Rob Harrell was probably the best overall hitter in my time at Magnolia. He was a 3-hole, .400 plus hitter each year with great confidence, speed and power, with lots of doubles, triples, and home runs. He was a fearless competitor. He hit .500…. let me repeat, he hit .500 in our 1980 State Championship season. He played at Hinds and Belhaven.
Todd Ross was probably our best clutch hitter on the 1981 Magnolia team. He hit .383 and struck out only 3 times ins 148 plate appearances. He was 7-1 on the mound with a 2.90 ERA. He also hit .442 as a sophomore in 1980.
Hinds’ Quincy LeBlanc pitched 8+ innings, allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, walked 1 and struck out 5 in a 3-2 win over #1 Kirkwood (MO) in the Division II World Series in 1999.
Steve Renfrow, a left-hander from Wingfield, was 13-0 with an ERA of 0.97 and led the Falcons to a state championship in 1979. He pitched 86 2/3 innings, allowed only 31 hits and struck out 123. He pitched a no-hitter against South Natchez in the South Mississippi playoffs.
Magnolia Academy freshman Tim McMillian pitched a no-hitter against Manhattan Academy in 1979. He walked one and struck out five.
The Magnolia Raiders battled back from a 9-0 disadvantage to outslug, outsmart, and outheckle Manhattan Academy. Ricky Chisolm threw every pitch for Magnolia and when the Raiders took the lead 18-17, Chisolm struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh.
Jay Albright who started at Magnolia since the 9th grade, hit .402 during the record-setting 1981 season with 40 RBI, 39 walks, and reached base 108 times for a .620 OBP.
During the 1981 season, Tim McMillian missed two weeks with a thumb injury and still went 8-2 with 81 k’s in 50 innings. He also hit .400 with 35 RBI.
The boys from the 1981 Magnolia Academy team that became the first Mississippi team to win 40 games in a season, put up some ridiculous numbers on offense, defense, and on the mound.
Ricky Chisolm won 32 games on the mound in his three seasons with the Magnolia Academy Raiders. He was 13-2 with a 1.27 ERA in 1978, and 13-1 when we won our first State Championship in 1979.
In the 1989 State Tournament, Noah James hit a solo home run in the 6th inning to tie the game with Pearl River 2-2. He hit a 2-run homer in the 8th to win it and send Hinds to the championship game.
Josh Clarke recorded 11 saves for the Eagles in 2010 and broke Mark Anders single season record of 9. Austin Sanders tied Josh’s record in 2014.
Terre Woods went 4-5 with a triple, double, two singles and 6 RBI in a 9-6 opening game win by Hinds over Mississippi Delta in the 1989 State Tournament.
Jeff Showah drove in the winning run in the State Championship game against Pearl River in 1989 with a line drive single to right against lefty Jimmy Agent. Pinch runner John Stewart scored the winning run.
Van Reed hit a 2-run homer in the fifth inning to beat Delgado Community College 9-6 in the opening game of the 1989 Region 23 Tournament.
Scott Williams went 4-4, including a solo home run, Jeff Long drove in 3 runs and Doug Thomas hit a 2-run homer to lead the Eagles to a eliminate #1 Louisburg, NC. from the tournament and advance to the Eastern District Tournament Championship game in 1989.
Eagles closer Mark Anders pitched 6 1/3 innings of no-hit relief and Noah James hit a game winning solo home run (his 19th) in the fifth inning in a 4-3 win over North Greenville in the 1989 Eastern District Tournament.
Starting pitchers Terry Gray, Freddie Hill, and Cedric Robinson each pitched into the 8th inning in elimination games to give Hinds an opportunity to win the Eastern District Tournament in 1989.
In the Eastern District Tournament Championship games, Terre Woods hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth for a 7-6 win in game 1 and Noah James hit a two-run single in the bottom over the seventh for a 5-3 win in the championship game. With the two wins over Aquinas Junior College, the Eagles won the Eastern District Championships and advanced to the JUCO World Series.
To be continued…….
Rick Clarke's Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach 