SCOOBA — Chase Reeves now knows how much playing baseball means to him.
The former Hamilton High School standout has spent a majority of the past two baseball seasons on the injured reserved list.
Now the East Mississippi Community College sophomore is fully healthy and ready to go.
Reeves and the Lions will open the season Friday with two games at the Carl McInnis Classic in Niceville, Fla.
“Watching from the stands is never easy,” Reeves said. “I have learned so much from the last two years. You see baseball differently when you are not on the field. The main thing I learned is you can’t take one play off because that can be the difference between winning and losing.”
Reeves began his post-high school baseball career at Ole Miss. A torn labrum and rotator cuff cut his first season short and forced him to use a medical redshirt. During his freshman campaign at EMCC, Reeves appeared in nine games before aggravating the labrum and tearing a bicep tendon.
“He hit a game-tying home run in the sixth or seventh inning of a game,” EMCC fourth-year coach Chris Rose said. “After he rounded the bases, we took him off the field and sent him straight to the doctor. You had a sense it was over again. To dedicate yourself to coming back for a second time is hard, but Chase was determined. That is what it is all about.”
Reeves admits coming back from injury is one of the most difficult things he has experienced in athletics. However, his love for the game made him determined to come back better.
“You just have to belief in yourself,” Reeves said. “If you have been given the ability to play this game, you have to take full advantage of that opportunity.”
Reeves wasn’t the only wounded Lion last season. Brought over from Meridian C.C., Rose had a fast-track plan to win championships up the road at EMCC. However, the plan hit a detour as last season’s injury problem mounted.
“You begin every season with a lot of excitement,” Rose said. “My first year, our only goal was to find a way to make the playoffs. Last season, we really thought we had all of the pieces in place to contend for a championship. However, some of those pieces wound up going off the board. On paper, talent wise, this is the best team we have assembled. However, there are no guarantees once the season starts, so we begin again with a lot of optimism, and we think we have a chance.”
Rose had to retool the coaching staff during the offseason. Garrett Harris is a new assistant coach. He will work with the pitchers, while former Mississippi State standout Jarrod Parks has been brought in to work with the hitters.
“We felt like we really underachieved last season,” Reeves said. “The new coaches have come in and kind of picked up the energy. We have new players. There is a lot of talent on this team, and we are working hard.
“Even though I didn’t play in the fall, I could sense things were a lot different. It was like everybody was picking up each other more. You could tell a different attitude.”
In 2013, EMCC finished 21-23 and 11-13 in Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College North Division play. The Lions have qualified for the postseason once — in Rose’s first season in 2011.
“Everything is in place right for a special season,” EMCC sophomore outfielder LeDarious Clark said. “We knew we had the potential last year, but it really hurt us when some of the guys we were counting on went down. It’s not a lack of confidence because we feel like we can be really good. It is just a matter of putting in all the hard work to make sure we reach our potential.”
Clark, a former standout at Meridian’s Southeast Lauderdale High, recently was named the nation’s No. 40 junior college baseball prospect by Perfect Game, a national scouting service. Last season, Clark was the team’s fourth-leading hitter with a .310 batting average. He was second on the team with five home runs and third on the team with 24 RBIs and 30 runs.
After playing for th EMCC football team in the fall of 2012, Clark’s numbers improved greatly in the latter portion of the season. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound outfielder batted .458 (22-for-48) with 17 RBIs and 16 runs in the final 16 games.
Rose feels his lineup will include players who can hit for high batting averages. The projected starting outfield earned all-state honors in high school. The Lions will feature the Class 1A high school player of the year (J’Daylin Jackson), as well as the Class 5A pitcher of the year (Andrew Crane).
Sophomore infielder/pitcher Tyler Odom, who played at Oak Grove High, is back after leading all freshman hitters in the state with a .390 average. Sophomore outfielder Colton Caver, a former Gulfport High standout, is also back after collecting a team-best 58 hits last season. Rose considers first baseman Trent Waddell the best defensive first baseman in the league. Freshman Blake Key, who is from Northeast Lauderdale, also figures to provide a lift after he turned heads in the fall.
“We will be able to score some runs,” Reeves said. “We really don’t have any easy outs in the lineup. If someone is not having a good day, someone else will be there to pick them up.”
Odom will factor heavily into the rotation. He appeared in nine games (six starts) last season.
“Offensively and defensively, I like where we are,” Rose said. “We also have depth on the pitching staff, and that has been limited in the past. We have so many guys who can come in throw strikes and get outs, so it will be easier for us to match up during a game. We can take our chances with trying to win a key matchup earlier in the game.”
Sophomore left-hander Joshua Griffis, a transfer from Florida Gulf Coast, and sophomore right-hander Chase Cameron, who is back after a season-ending bone spur injury last season, will provide depth.
The challenge is to put things together against one of the state’s most challenging schedules. Rose is cautiously optimistic.
“Our chemistry is outstanding,” Rose said. “This team has really matured a lot from the fall. Football and men’s basketball have been up there playing for and winning national championships. Now we want to step to the forefront and do our part. We are looking forward to getting everything started.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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