EMCC Lions set to open 2022 baseball season against Snead State

SCOOBA — East Mississippi Community College's 2022 baseball season is scheduled to get underway this week with home-and-home doubleheaders against Snead State Community College.

On the heels of a scheduled Thursday (Feb. 10) twin bill in Boaz, Ala., the EMCC Lions are then slated to entertain the SSCC Parsons on Saturday (Feb. 12) in Scooba. First pitch for East Mississippi's home-opening doubleheader is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Gerald Poole Field.

Following the pair of scheduled season-opening baseball doubleheaders against Snead State, the Lions are then slated to participate in the three-day (Feb. 18-20) Saluqi Invitational in Millington, Tenn. With the tournament games set to be played at the USA Stadium Baseball Complex, EMCC's Friday games (Feb. 18) will be against Jackson State CC and tourney host Southwest Tennessee CC. The Lions will then take on St. Charles CC and Bryant & Stratton College on Saturday (Feb. 19).

Guided by fourth-year head baseball coach Brett Kimbrel, the 2022 EMCC baseball edition features five position players who each started 18 or more games for last year's 18-18 team that narrowly missed qualifying for postseason play. Leading this returning quintet looks to be UAB signee Blayze Berry, who batted .324 with 12 extra-base hits as an everyday starter a year ago for the Lions. The former Heritage Academy standout has switched from second base to shortstop this season.

Also returning for the Lions after registering double-digit starting assignments last year are Beau Bates, Zack Griffith (Mize), Wesley Sides (Southaven/DeSoto Central HS) and Trey Trosclair (D'Iberville). Bates, an outfielder from Caledonia, hit .295 last season with five home runs and six doubles as a 28-game starter for EMCC.

Other returning position players for EMCC include infielders Austin Garrison (Gulfport) and Drew Brown (Columbus/New Hope HS), as well as outfielders Johnny Setchfield (Olive Branch) and Jackson Siler (Southaven/DeSoto Central HS). Catcher David Dickerson (Booneville/New Site HS) is also back in the mix for the Lions.

An expected strength of this year's EMCC squad appears to be with its pitching depth. On the mound, the Lions will look to returning ace Cade Davis to again lead the way. The 6-foot-6 right-hander, out of Ripley, was a staff-best 6-3 with a team-leading 45 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched last year as a freshman.

Also back for the Lions on the mound from a year ago will be Mississippi College signee Gabe Garner (Madison/Germantown HS), Jonah Caskey (West Point/Oak Hill Academy), Dakota Boney (Toomsuba/Southeast Lauderdale HS), Jonah Posey (Southaven), and Halen Sanford (Sumrall).  Perhaps EMCC's most notable improvement on the bump from last season has been sophomore right-hander Kylan Stepter, out of Hernando, who has committed to South Alabama.

The Lions will look to also benefit from the addition of transfers Hunter French (Southaven/DeSoto Central HS) and Kade Shannon (Hattiesburg/Oak Grove HS) from Jones College as well as pitchers Parker Wood (Meridian/Southeast Lauderdale HS) and Grant Johnson (Hernando) from Holmes and East Central, respectively. French, a center fielder who played briefly for Mississippi State in 2020, batted .292 with 24 RBIs and 12 stolen bases last year for the JC Bobcats. 

Highlighting another talented class of high school signees for the Lions figure to be out-of-state position players Coby Holmes (Saraland, AL) and Ethan Medlin (Lake Charles, LA/Barbe HS), along with pitchers Andrew Lewis (Snellville, GA/Winder-Barrow HS) and Blake Wren (Lake Charles, LA/Barbe HS). In-state recruits joining this year's EMCC roster as freshmen are Zac Butler (New Hope), Jackson Cook (New Albany/South Pontotoc HS), Will Crawford (Corinth), Ian Dillon (Saltillo), Hayden Fortune (Ripley), Carson Gault (New Albany), Will Martin (Philadelphia/Leake Academy), Braxton Miller (Olive Branch/Center Hill HS), Parker Rushing (Corinth/Alcorn Central HS), and Ryan Wood (Grenada).