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Junior college baseball in Vidalia
The Concordia Recreation District No. 3 Complex will be the host of several activities Friday and Saturday involving Pearl River Community College and Baton Rouge Community College's baseball teams.
The highlight of the weekend will be a doubleheader contest between the two teams on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.
On Friday, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., a "Meet and Greet" will be held at the Cliff Merritt Field at the complex with the Pearl River team, led by manager Josh Hoffpauir, a native of Vidalia.
Free hot dogs will be given to the first 150 fans.
"Everyone is invited to come and watch Pearl River practice and meet the players," said Concordia Recreation District No. 3 Director Johnny Lee Hoffpauir. "This is an exciting event. Josh wanted to give something back to Vidalia and gave up a home game to do this. We're hoping for a great turnout for some great baseball."
Admission to the doubleheader is $5.
A baseball camp featuring former USM All-American and Major Leaguer Jarrett Hoffpauir will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Cost of the camp is $60 per child.
The 1 p.m. baseball game will be the first-ever collegiate competition in Vidalia.
Hoffpauir is in his third season as head coach at PRCC.
"It's exciting any time you can come back home, but even more special to be one of the first games on the new complex," Hoffpauir said. "It means a lot to me and it will be fun to see some familiar faces running around out there."
Hoffpauir helped lead Vidalia's baseball team to its lone state championship in 19996.
In Hoffpauir's first two seasons as head coach, the Wildcats have tallied a 54-38 record.
Three of his current players signed grant-in-aid scholarships early.
Right-handed pitcher Ryan Deemes of Holy Cross High in Chalmette, La., signed with Nicholls State (La.) University and Christian Talley of Hancock High, another right-hander, signed with the University of Southern Mississippi.
Deemes was a key starter in 2012, boasting a perfect 4-0 record. He pitched 45 innings, struck out 32, and finished his freshman year with a 4.2 earned run average.
Talley finished the 2012 season with a 4-1 record in 57 innings of mound work. He struck out 39 batters and had a team-best 2.37 earned run average.
Also, center fielder Braxton Lee of Picayune signed with Ole Miss. Lee was an All-MACJC and All-Region 23 performer last season and sported a second-best .362 batting average. He played all 42 games, finished with 50 hits, a .461 on-base percentage, and 29 stolen bases - all team-high totals. His stolen base percentage was 93.5 and he drove in 20 runs.
Hoffpauir said Adams County Christian School product Jake Brumfield, a freshman, could see time on the mound in the second game.
Saturday's game will be the season-opener for Pearl River. Baton Rouge brings a 1-5 record into Vidalia.
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Baton Rouge Community College head baseball coach L.C. Dupuy did not hesitate when asked by Pearl River Community College head baseball coach Josh Hoffpauir to move their doubleheader this Saturday from Pearl River, Ms., to Vidalia to help open up the new Recreation District No. 3 Complex.
"He told me they were opening up a new facility and we agreed to do that," Dupuy said. "I understand they are doing a great job with the park. I have more than 40 years in coaching and managing and love the game of baseball and love to see it grow and development in communities like Vidalia."
Dupuy, a native of Addis, has won six league championships in amateur and professional baseball, including titles with the Baton Rouge Marlins and the Baton Rouge River Bats, both independent professional teams.
He worked as an associate scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees before joining the BRCC program in 2005.
Dupuy graduated from Brusly High and attended Southeastern Louisiana where he was a member of the basketball and baseball teams.
Dupuy's team brings a 1-5 record to Vidalia for the doubleheader Saturday, which begins at 1 p.m.
The Bears lost to Bossier City in a doubleheader in which Dupuy lost his starting and back-up catcher to injuries.
"We had to bring in our right-fielder, Matt Smith, who played catcher in high school," Dupuy said. "We're actually playing pretty decent right now. We played in a tournament in (St. Petersburg) Florida against some real good teams. Miami Dade is ranked high and if could have turned a couple of double plays we had a chance of beating them. We hit the ball, but it was right at people."
Dupuy said his pitching has not been consistent, but he expected that since his top freemen pitchers from last year signed with four-year schools.
Dupuy said sophomore second baseman Bond Babin from Zachary is Baton Rouge's leadoff hitter and serves as a catalyst for the Bear offense.
"He hits the ball real well and is very disciplined at the plate," Dupuy said of Babin. "He runs well and has stolen several bases."
Dupuy said sophomore first baseman Nick Ber, a 6-foot-5, 215-pounder from Thibodaux, has tremendous power and has a good on-base percentage.
"We're going to get better as the year goes along," Dupuy said. "We're looking forward to playing in Vidalia." |
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