Gates Gerhart gives EMCC Lions back-to-back MACCC Baseball Position Players of the Week

JACKSON – For the second straight week, East Mississippi Community College lays claim to the MACCC's Baseball Position Player of the Week honor. EMCC sophomore first baseman Gates Gerhart follows suit this week after reigning all-conference slugger Evan Radford earned the distinction a week ago for the Lions.

A product of New Hope High School, Gerhart went 6-for-9 (.667) at the plate with four home runs, a double and 14 runs batted in during EMCC's home-and-home doubleheader sweeps over Marion Military Institute last week. He also scored five runs and added two stolen bases and a sacrifice fly along with being hit by a pair of pitches during the four-game series.

After driving home four runs in the nightcap of Thursday's 17-1 run-rule, nightcap win at MMI with a three-run homer and a sacrifice fly, Gerhart capped his productive two days by going a combined 4-for-6 (2-for-3 each game) the next day in Scooba during the Lions' second twin-bill sweep (8-0 & 12-0) in as many days over the Tigers. On the heels of hitting a homer and a double with three RBIs in Friday's first game, he followed in the nightcap with a first-inning grand slam and a three-run blast in the third frame to give the left-hander three home runs and 10 RBIs on the afternoon.

Gerhart has raised his season's batting average to .421 heading into Tuesday's round-robin, non-conference competition against MACCC foes Southwest Mississippi and Mississippi Gulf Coast being played in Perkinston. Along with currently being tied with Ayden Alsobrooks for the team-lead with 15 RBIs on the year, Gerhart also tops the Lions with his 1.105 slugging percentage and seven stolen bases through the team's first dozen games.

A two-time, all-district performer for head coach Lee Boyd's New Hope Trojans, Gerhart was a Northeast Mississippi Coaches Association for Better Baseball (NEMCABB) All-Star as a prep senior when he batted .388 on the year with 12 extra-base hits.

Head coach Brett Kimbrel's 10-2 EMCC Lions return home to Scooba to play host to the Bucs of Shelton State Community College in a 2 p.m. nine-inning game on Thursday (Feb. 22) before heading to Tuscaloosa for a noon doubleheader against Shelton State on Saturday (Feb. 24).