STARKVILLE — Caden Tate said he was nervous, but he was all smiles as he sat Thursday in the library at Starkville High School.
In front of family, teammates and friends, Tate signed his letter of intent to play baseball at East Mississippi Community College.
“I’ve been working toward this my whole life,” Tate said. “It feels good to be in this position.”
Yellow Jackets coach Luke Adkins sees in Tate a player whose best days are ahead of him.
“He’s really starting to figure it out offensively,” Adkins said. “I don’t think he’s plateaued yet, so I really look forward to him having a really good senior year for us and then continuing on at East Mississippi.”
EMCC coach Brett Kimbrel is in full agreement with Adkins.
“For us, we kind of watched Caden grow up this summer,” Kimbrel said. “He’s played at our field different times, and every time he comes to our place to play he produces. It doesn’t matter who he’s playing against. He just swings, and he can hit. There’s the old adage, if you can hit, we can find a place for you.”
That adage fits Tate, because while Kimbrel said being a left-handed hitter is a commodity that you don’t see as much these days, Adkins said being left-handed limits the positions a player can handle effectively in the field. Tate’s place has been center field, and Adkins had high praise for his defense.
“He gets some of the best reads off of a baseball that I’ve seen,” the coach said. “His arm has gotten stronger every year. I could see him moving eventually to right field just because his arm strength has gotten better.”
“I think he could, and I think his athleticism allows him to play either right or left,” Kimbrel agreed. “Some guys can’t make that move to a corner.”
Tate gave the Starkville coaching staff credit for his development as a baseball player and said he wouldn’t be in position to play college baseball without them.
“When I got here I was just a little guy,” said Tate, listed at 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds. “They made a really big difference.”
And Adkins has seen the difference in Tate over the past three years, both at the plate and in the field, noting his approach at the plate has improved over the years.
“He’s really bought into being able to bunt for a base hit,” Adkins said. “Adding the little pieces to the game he already had has made a big difference.”
“He’s got a beautiful swing,” Kimbrel said. “It’s just smooth as silk. He reminds you of the guys that weren’t big, physical guys, but they just find a way to beat you.”
Kimbrel has taken academics seriously over his years as a college coach, and last year the Lions’ team GPA of 3.43 was good for 14th in the NJCAA.
“He will come in and be a true student-athlete,” Kimbrel said of Tate. “He’s just the kind of player that we’re looking for: high character, how he does in the classroom. He’s somebody you want on your team, somebody you just want to be around.”
For Tate’s part, going to EMCC is a natural. He said many of his family members went to the Scooba school and have done well. And he knows what the Lions see in him as well.
“They expect me to be a leader,” he said.
EMCC is coming off of an 18-18 season, including an 11-17 MACCC record. But the Lions appear to be headed in the right direction, as they won just eight conference games during an 11-30 season in 2019.
Kimbrel is in his fourth year as the head coach at EMCC after arriving in 2016 as an assistant. During his time in Scooba, more than 25 players have continued their careers at four-year schools.
Tate joins New Hope’s Gates Gerhart and Dawson Lofton in the EMCC recruiting class, with more to come.
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