Jeffrey Cook is confident an offseason packed with baseball is going to benefit the Columbus High School baseball program in 2013.
Cook returned to Mississippi late last week after working as an assistant coach to Brandon High coach Stacy Hester with Team Mississippi at the Junior Sunbelt Classic in McAlester, Okla. Team Mississippi went 6-4 and finished fourth in the annual tournament that features some of the top junior (and under) baseball players from the United States and Canada.
This year, Cook had an even bigger interest in Team Mississippi’s fortunes because rising senior Christian Dale and rising junior Hunter Mullis represented Mississippi. Dale, a pitcher/infielder, was slated to make the trip all along, while Mullis, a left-handed pitcher/outfielder, was a last-minute replacement. Cook said both players fared well at the showcase, which gave college and professional scouts a chance to evaluate some of the nation’s top talent.
“I thought they both pitched very well,” Cook said. “Christian pitched a two-hitter vs. Colorado and only gave up one run (to get the win). He pitched very well and had all four pitches working well and his control was very good. He also got a save for us (against the Oklahoma Blue team). He played very well at second base and hit about .370 for the tournament. He did a good job, battled hard, and made some impressions on some scouts, which is what he was out there for.
“Hunter got to pitch in three games vs. Tennessee (a loss), vs. Canada (another loss), and against one of the Oklahoma teams. He did a good job. He had a couple of really good innings and got to hit a couple of times. I really think the experience of being out there is going to help Hunter a tremendous amount as he goes through the summer.”
Dale, Mullis, and the rest of the Falcons will stay busy in the offseason. Dale and rising junior first baseman Chris McCullough are in Georgia playing in the East Cobb League, which attracts some of the region’s top players. Mullis and many of his other high school teammates will leave today with Cook to go to the Delta State University team camp. Mullis and Jimmy Cockrell will return from the three-day camp and head off to play for the District 4 team at the State Games of Mississippi in Meridian.
Cook said he talked to several coaches about Dale in Oklahoma and said they enjoyed watching him battle against the level of competition. He said all of the offseason baseball experience will benefit his players, especially the Junior Sunbelt Classic and the East Cobb League, which he said will be “personal growth experiences” for Dale and McCullough.
Cook expects to have 15-16 players with him at the team camp. He said rising junior Trace Lee, who is a pitcher/infielder on the baseball team and a quarterback on the football team, is on a mission trip to Haiti and won’t be with the team. He said Lee received consideration to go to Oklahoma but couldn’t due to his mission trip.
“The future is pretty bright for some of our players,” Cook said. “I look for our team to do a little more bonding at the Delta State camp. It is just another chance for these guys to show their abilities.”
Hester, the longtime coach at New Hope who has been involved with the Junior Sunbelt Classic since its inception, said Team Mississippi fared well despite not having as much depth as other teams. He said the team bounced back nicely from a loss to eventual champion Tennessee in its first game to win its next five games in a row. A loss in the seventh inning to Texas ended that streak. Team Mississippi lost to Texas in its last game Wednesday to take fourth. Tennessee beat Arizona 7-2 to finish unbeaten and win the event for the second consecutive season.
Hester praised the play of Dale and Mullis and said the experience should give them confidence to know they can compete with any players in the state of Mississippi.
“On the mound, Christian was in complete control,” Hester said. “I think Hunter knows he has to get more velocity to get to the next level. You can’t fool hitters with the slower breaking stuff, and a lot of big hitters can sit back and wait on it. That is what Canada did when they hit him. I think he learned if he can add 3-4 mph to his fastball maybe he can compete with some of these guys.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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