CALEDONIA — All John Wilson wanted was someone to give Cody Allsup a chance.
Throughout the 2012 season, opposing coaches came up to the Caledonia High School baseball coach and asked where Allsup, a senior pitcher, was going to play baseball in college.
All Wilson could do at the time was shake his head and say one of his biggest contributors was still waiting for an opportunity.
Now that Allsup has that opportunity, he is working hard to put himself in position to capitalize. In May, Allsup signed with East Mississippi Community College and will have a chance in the fall to make the team. It remains to be seen if he will get his shot at pitcher, at catcher, or at another position. All Allsup knows is he will do whatever he can to make an impression on EMCC coach Chris Rose.
“It feels really good,” Allsup said. “I have put in a lot of hard work in these cages and on that bullpen mound (inside the Caledonia High baseball field house) and on that mound out there on the field. It feels really good to see all my hard work pay off.”
Allsup said he will go to EMCC with an academic scholarship. If Allsup makes the team, he said he could be in the running for an athletic scholarship.
“I just wanted to play anywhere I could,” Allsup said. “I have always wanted to play college baseball. It has been my dream since I picked up a bat.”
Allsup attended a workout at EMCC where he threw in the bullpen and worked out as catcher. He wasn’t sure where he was going to go when Rose invited him to come to Scooba and compete for a spot on the team.
Wilson thought all along Allsup would have a chance to play at the next level. He watched as Allsup threw a two-hitter to beat Itawamba Agricultural High in the first round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A North State playoff series. He said Allsup’s struggles in the next round against Cleveland might not have been enough to convince college coaches, but he said Allsup (6-2, 1.15 ERA, 14 walks in 50-plus innings showed tenacity and the grit that made him so successful. He feels those characteristics will serve Allsup well when he is at Scooba.
“I am just glad he is going to get the opportunity,” Wilson said. “On the mound, he did well. He is going to have to work on his conditioning and getting stronger.”
Allsup, who was selected to play in the NEMCABB All-Star Game for seniors, said he is doing his best to hone his skills. He also said he has been working out to improve his conditioning because he knows he will have a chance to play against some of the state’s top players.
“All summer I have been working on getting in better shape, ” Allsup said. “I have been running and lifting weights. I have gotten stronger, and I think that is a big step, and then learning more about the game. I don’t care how long you play, you don’t know everything about the game, so it is always good to know you’re going to learn more.
“Coach Rose said whoever got down there and worked the hardest and that we would all earn our spots. Every spot is open right now.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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