(#97) I went to Hinds over 39 years ago with the dream of winning championships. In our third season in 1986, we won the South Division Championship and advanced to the state playoffs only to get knocked off by East Mississippi, 4-0 and 3-2 in 10 innings; two great pitching duels. We won 24 south … Continue reading Hinds’ First State Championship in 37 Years – 35 Years Ago
Category: Hinds Baseball
Field(s) of Dreams
(#96) Yesterday was the 2022 home opener for Hinds at Joe G. Moss Field in Raymond. The weather was perfect and the field looked great. Got a post on Facebook from Stirling Madden, a teammate of mine when we both played on the 1973 team when Hinds reinstated baseball for the first time since 1958. … Continue reading Field(s) of Dreams
The Chase is on for the Mississippi JUCOs
(#95) 1989 Hinds Eagles The 2022 JUCO baseball season is underway. And the race is on for the NJCAA Division II World Series in Enid, Oklahoma. Part of the dream of going to Hinds in the fall of 1982 was to build a program that would win championships and do some things that no other … Continue reading The Chase is on for the Mississippi JUCOs
A Tribute to Lee Toney, 40 Years Later
Congrats to Lee Toney (1982-83) on his selection to the 2023 Hinds Community College Sports Hall of Fame! His induction will be during the Hinds Homecoming Festivities in October. (#91) Here's a shoutout to the great Lee Toney who put together the greatest offensive season in Hinds Community College baseball history forty years ago, in … Continue reading A Tribute to Lee Toney, 40 Years Later
If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix it
(#89) In 1992, Steve Bourgeois, a right-hander from Reserve, Louisiana started both games of a double-header against Southwest Mississippi. He went the distance in each 5 inning game, was the winning pitcher in each, and struck out 24 batters on the day. That would have been 21.6 strikeouts in a nine inning game! He was … Continue reading If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix it
Eagles in the Big Leagues – Chad Bradford
(#88) Chadwick Lee Bradford, a side-winding right-handed pitcher from Byram, Mississippi, came to Hinds as a freshman in the fall of 1993. He was the workhorse for the Eagles for the next two seasons. He led Hinds to post-season play in both seasons, including the Region 23 and District Championships and back-to-back appearances in the … Continue reading Eagles in the Big Leagues – Chad Bradford
Dreams Really Do Come True
#86 Chapter 10 in Michael Lewis' best-selling novel, Moneyball, is called "Anatomy of an Undervalued Pitcher" and that "undervalued pitcher" he writes about is former Hinds ace right-hander Chad Bradford. He features an "autobiographical essay" that Chad wrote as a school assignment at age eight: What I Want to Be When I Grow Up If … Continue reading Dreams Really Do Come True
The Historic Path to Grand Junction – 1989 (Part 1)
(#85) Commissioner Mac McClellan presents trophy after Eagles defeat Pearl River 5-3 for the 1989 MACJC State Championship at Mississippi College. The Region 23 Championship and Eastern District Championship and a trip to the JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado were to follow in the next 3 weeks. George McQuitter, Dr. Clyde Muse, Renee … Continue reading The Historic Path to Grand Junction – 1989 (Part 1)
Keep It Simple
(#82) Here's a simple hitting philosophy from a young Jeff Long for the hardest thing to do in sports... "hitting a round ball with a round bat and hitting it squarely." It certainly worked well for him. The Great Jeff Long Call the Coach!
From the Desk of Boo Ferris
(#81) Here's a priceless handwritten note from the legendary Boo Ferriss. (May, 1989) And we did win the Eastern District Tournament in South Carolina and advance to the JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. And here's a priceless type-written note from Ron Polk from the same period. Call the Coach!
Rick Clarke's Diary of a Mad Baseball Coach 