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Final Division 5-4A Standings
Terry 14-1
Brookhaven 11-4
McComb 10-5
Lawrence County 8-7
South Pike 3-12
Crystal Springs 0-15
Final 2001 Statistical Leaders
Batting Average-Boyd .427(35-82)
Runs-Wallace 30
Hits-Boyd 35
Doubles-Oberschmidt 8
Triples-Wallace-6
Homeruns-Banks, Perkins, Goza 2
On Base Pct.-Boyd .478
Stolen Bases-Wallace 11
RBI'S-Boyd 29
Wins-McCall-6
Saves-Gerald 3
Strikeouts-McCall 57(48.0 IP)
Innings Pitched-Banks 54.1
Earned Run Average-(Minimum 27IP)Sykes 1.07
Perkins Taken By Expos
Senior centerfielder Fred Perkins was taken by the Montreal Expos in this years Major League Draft. Perkins was taken in the 40th round. He is considered a "draft and follow". The Expos will retain the right to sign him until he is eligible to be drafted again. Perkins signed a football scholarship with Tulane, but has recently indicated that he may consider attending Co-Lin and playing baseball. In this scenario, Montreal would be able to sign him before the 2002 Draft.
Former BHS outfielder Arlandus Brown was also drafted by the Expos. Brown was chosen in the 22nd round and is also considered a "Draft and Follow".
Three Panthers Chosen For State Games
First baseman Ben Goza, Infielder/Pitcher Justin Sykes, and Pitcher/Outfielder James McCall have been chosen to represent BHS on the District 7 State Games Baseball Team. A team of 18 players is chosen to represent each of the 8 districts in Mississippi. The teams compete in a College World Series format. The tournament will be held at Meridian Community College from June 22-25.
Coach Keys Goes Home
After just one year at BHS, assistant coach Corey Keys has accepted a similiar position at his alma mater, Lawrence County. Keys will serve as Head Coach of the 9th Grade Football Team and Assistant Coach for the Cougars Baseball Team. "We will definitely miss Coach Keys. He is an outstanding young coach who related to our kids well. He will be a great asset to Coach Clark at Lawrence County."
7th Graders To Be Involved In Program
Starting this year, 7th graders will be allowed to try out for the Panther baseball
program. BHS will now field a Jr. High team
that will consist of 7th and 8th graders. This group will play a schedule that will be announced at a later date.
In the past, 8th graders have played either on a 9th Grade Team or been a part of the Junior Varsity. As stated earlier, there will now be a Jr. High team. Ninth graders will now be a part of the High School(Varsity or Jr. Varsity)Squad. When a player finishes his 8th grade year, he will then try out for the High School Squad.
"In the past, it has been difficult to schedule games for our younger kids because most people in this area have their 9th graders with their JV," said Coach Spring. He added, "By having 7th graders involved and combining them with our 8th graders, we can now have a true Jr. High program. This creates a better situation for them. By having all of our 9th graders on the High School Squad, we can now have the flexibility to use them in JV or Varstiy rather than having to decide to move them up or down as we have had to do the last couple of years. This new situation will make the management of our program much easier."
Second Annual Golf Tournament A Success
The second annual Diamond Club Golf Tournament was a good success. The tournament, which was held at Brookhaven Country Club, hosted 62 golfers for the 18 hole event. The tournament allowed the Diamond Club to raise nearly $2000 for the
BHS Baseball Program. The Diamond Club would like to thank the following groups and businesses for their sponsorships:
Honda of Brookhaven
Stan King Chevrolet
Entergy
Ole Brook Tire and Muffler
Betty Anne's
Baker, Patrick Accounting
Lincoln Truck
Western Sizzlin
Randy's Sports
Lott Furniture
Golden Flake
Tillmon Bishop
Panthers Finish 2002 With 13-16 Record
For the first time in 6 years, the playoffs in Mississippi High School Baseball took place without the Brookhaven Panthers taking part. What was already expected to be a rebuilding season hit hard times when BHS lost four players in a two week span at the beginning of the season. The biggest blow came in the fourth game of the season when junior pitcher Justin Sykes suffered a broken arm while delivering a pitch against Natchez.
These losses forced the Panthers to use many untested players much sooner than expected. The inexperience showed early on as the Panthers struggled out of the blocks.
As the season went on, this group of young men continued to improve and were very competitive at the end of the year.
One of the keys to this growth was the leadership of seniors Ben Goza and Kern Hoff. Goza, a three year starter at first base played the majority of the season at third base and short stop. Hoff, expected to be the starting catcher, was used at first base and even on the mound early in the year before being moved back behind the plate to finish out the year.
The season also saw the development of some solid young talent. Sophmore Brooks Hall pitched extremely well in the second half of the season and hit .337. Sophmore catcher-DH Adam Ogden smashed 3 homeruns. Junior Reggie Smith, in his first year as a pitcher posted a 4-1 record. Freshman centerfielder Darius Perkins batted .407 and Freshman C-1b-DH Grant McDonnieal hit 2 HR's. Junior OF Josh Townsend batted .323 and pitched well at times.
The development of these young players, as well as valuable experience gained by many others gives the Panthers optimism heading into the 2003 season.
Smith Selected To State Games
For the fourth consecutive year, a BHS Panther was selected to represent District 7 in the State Games. Smith a rising senior played infield for District 7 in the games, held at Meridian Community College. As a junior, Smith played 3b, SS, and OF and led
Panther pitchers with a 4-1 record.
DIAMOND DAY A HUGE SUCCESS
Diamond Day, Meet the Panthers was a huge success. Thirty one campers attended the kid's clinic. The Hit a Thon should raise between $4000 and $5000 when all of the money is collected. The day ended as 20 alumni, dads, and coaches participated in the Old-Timers
Game. It was a great day that will hopefully set the tone for a great
2003 season.
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