Eight PJC baseball players sign with four-year schools

Published or Revised April 24, 2013

Eight Paris Junior College Dragons baseball players have signed to continue their academic and athletic careers at four-year universities. "This group of sophomore signees has represented themselves in the best way while attending PJC," said PJC Baseball Coach Deron Clark. "Within this group, we have seven members of Phi Theta Kappa (two-year college honor society), a cumulative 3.16 GPA, all 17 sophomores earning the opportunity to walk at graduation on May 10, and 10 members of the NJCAA Region XIV All-Academic Team. "Also numbered among our sophomores are PJC's current Homecoming King, the current Mr. PJC and two other Mr. PJC nominees, as well as six nominees for the Distinguished Service Award. Not to mention the athletic recognitions earned on the field that have been accumulated by this group." "This has been a fun group of young men to experience and we wish them the best in their future endeavors," said Clark. The latest transfers include three players who have competed together for the past six seasons. Cline Andrews of Sugar Land, Texas, third base; G.R. Hinsley of Richmond, Texas, first base; and Blake Johnson of Sugar Land, outfielder, played together at Clements High School in Sugar Land prior to attending PJC. "During that time they have won a 5A Texas State Championship and have earned two Region XIV Tournament births," said Clark. "During the 2013 season they have combined for a .371 batting average, scored 89 of the Dragons 254 runs and are responsible for 11 of the Dragons 12 home runs. "Their contributions to our success during the past two seasons will be difficult to replace." Andrews and Johnson have signed with Texas A&M University — Kingsville, while Hinsley has signed with Texas A&M University in College Station. "I thank Coach Clark for making the most out of the past two years for me and getting me to where I'm at now," said Johnson. "Coach Clark and Coach Steed taught me a lot about baseball," said Andrews. "Failure is not an option anymore. You're around a bunch of guys easily as good as you. I learned to love the game more, and Coach Clark helped me on the mental side of the game." "I developed my skills with Coach Clark and Coach Steed," said Hinsley, "through being able to practice every day and playing 150 games. It was fun getting to know all my teammates. I'm very excited and can't wait to go and work hard and try to play in College Station." Also signing with Texas A&M University — Kingsville is right-handed pitcher Mitchell Bro of Bedford, Texas. "Mitchell transferred to us from Enid, Okla., and made an immediate impact on our pitching strength and depth. His consistency and athleticism have created much needed support in the Dragon bullpen," Clark said. Bro has an ERA of 3.06 in the 35 innings he pitched this season, with 23 strikeouts. "I transferred in as a sophomore," said Bro. "Only playing one year I developed as a player and a person, and I thank my coaches for that. Coming to PJC was one of the best decisions I ever made. I'm pumped to play at Kingsville for two more years. Hopefully the four of us going there can keep a connection to PJC." Dragons catcher Justin Eckols of Houston, Texas, will play next year for Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. "Durability is the strongest word I can use to describe Justin's contribution to our program," Clark said. "In 2012 he caught 49 of 52 games and hit .291. His arm strength and agility behind the plate have forced our opponents to change their offensive strategies." "It's been a great two years being with Coach Clark and a big incoming class of freshmen," said Eckols. "I made a lot of good friends. It's been a fun time here. One of my teammates went to Lamar University last year, so I'm looking forward to going there." Dragons middle infielder Ryan Fickel of Liberty Hill, Texas, will be another transfer to Texas A&M University — Kingsville. "Ryan's work ethic and maturity have allowed for the opportunity to display the athletic ability he has created," said Clark. "His offensive skills have generated multiple scoring opportunities and created defensive issues for our opponents all season." Fickel got 38 hits at 136 at-bats this season, scoring 27 runs. "I've been grateful to have Coach Steed go lift with me early in the morning and push me to be better every single day," said Fickel. "This has been a great two years, and I've learned a lot. I'm really looking forward to going to Texas A&M in Kingsville." Right-hander Robert "Hobie" Harris of McKinney, Texas, signed with the University of Pittsburg. "Hobie has performed at a high level this season after only pitching 21 innings his freshman season," Clark said. "This development and progress will springboard him into a great experience in the ACC conference for Pitt." Harris was 4-4 this season with a 3.45 ERA. "It was a great learning and growing experience for me," Harris said of his time at PJC. "It accelerated my knowledge of the game and expanded my skillset. It's been a great two years playing with my teammates and a great sophomore year with all nine starters coming back. Next year at Pittsburg is going to be a great opportunity. They're moving into the Atlantic Coast Conference, and I'll be playing with (Dragons teammate) Matt Johnson in some of the most competitive baseball in the nation. I thank Coach Clark for taking a chance on me and the one-on-one with Coach Steed developed me into the pitcher I am today." Outfielder Ty Huie of Powderly, Texas, has signed to play with East Central Oklahoma University. "Having Ty come into our program and experience this level of success has been fun to watch," Clark said. "After only hitting .199 as a freshman, and to become the offensive force in the middle of our lineup this season is a huge credit to his discipline and commitment to our program." Huie batted .331 this season, with 23 runs and 22 RBIs. "I'm lucky to have the opportunity to play so close to home," Huie said. "PJC is a great environment to be in, more so than people think. My teacher Jon Rutherford told me that to be successful at baseball you only have to be good 30 percent of the time and I took that into the summer and thought about it and it helped me. I met the coaching staff at East Central University and liked how they carried themselves and run the team and the training program." The spring signing class brings to 12 the number of sophomores playing further than PJC. Those who committed in the fall include: Matt Johnson of Plano, Texas, signed with the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pa.; Alex Bruu of McKinney signed with McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La.; and Chase Harvey of Paris and Jared Fielden of Gilmer signed with Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Ark.