Last year’s Diamond Dawgs showcased an abundance of sophomores, and of the six second-year men that started regularly, one took his talent to the next level.
The Cincinnati Reds invited Craig Tatum to join their system, and the second-team All-SEC catcher took them up on it. The Reds made Tatum the 78th player taken in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, using their third-round pick on the 21-year-old from Hattiesburg.
As a Bulldog in 2004, Tatum hit .325, crushed 13 long balls, and paced the team with 60 RBI’s. Even more impressive were his defensive skills, as he threw out 19 base-stealers and picked off eight runners. Those stats, along with his toughness and willingness to block the plate on close plays, made him a finalist for the 2004 Johnny Bench Award.
Having played 38 games for the Billings (Mont.) Mustangs in the Pioneer League, Tatum is hitting .224 with 20 RBI’s and two home runs.
More Draftees
Seniors Steve Gendron and Jeff Lacher also got taken up in the draft, both by the Florida Marlins.
Gendron played four years for Mississippi State at third base, right field and shortstop. Despite the position changes, he managed to start all but three of the 245 games the Bulldogs played. His 316 career hits are the third most in MSU history and eighth in the conference all-time.
In 37 games in the South Atlantic League with the class-A Greensboro (N.C.) Bats, his second minor-league assignment, Gendron is hitting .237 with 19 runs scored.
Gendron actually remained a teammate of Lacher before his departure from the Jamestown (N.Y.) Jammers, another class-A team in the New York-Penn League. Lacher, still with the Jammers, is 0-3 with a 5.63 ERA in 13 appearances. He has struck out 26 in 32 innings.
Returning Star
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Brad Corley was State’s MVP as a sophomore last season. It would be even less of a stretch to say he’s already the frontrunner for the 2005 season.
Corley’s honors and awards piled up at nearly the same rate as his homers. His 19 bombs earned him second place in the SEC, and his 93 hits led the team. Needless to say he also had the top batting average and slugging percentage with numbers of .380 and .678.
The right fielder from Louisville, Ky., earned All-America team honors from USA Today/Sports Weekly (second team), Louisville Slugger/TPX/Collegiate Baseball (third team) and he made Baseball America’s first-team All-America list. Twice honored as the SEC Player of the Week and once as the National Player of the Week, Corley also became a finalist for the Boo Ferriss Award.
The USA National Team was impressed enough to invite him to its team trials in June.
Up and Comers
The two freshmen that contributed most to the young MSU team were pitcher Josh Johnson and second baseman Jeffrey Rea. Both were rewarded with spots on the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team.
Johnson, from Caledonia, went 5-1 with a 4.06 ERA in eight starts and 13 total appearances. As a midweek starter, he struck out 43 in 51 innings.
Looking at Rea’s 5-foot-eight, 146-pound frame would make it hard to believe he started 57 of 59 games as a second baseman. But his numbers certainly proved him to be worthy of the position. As the leadoff hitter, he batted .324 with a team-high 34 walks. He displayed power and speed with 18 extra-base hits and 11 stolen bases.
Strong recruiting class
Replacing Tatum won’t be easy by any means, but the Bulldogs got off to a good start when the inked high school All-American catcher Edward Easley.
Easley is just one of three MSU incoming freshmen to have been named to the 2004 Louisville Slugger/TPX High School All-American team. Mitch Moreland and Chad Crosswhite also make the list.
Easley, a catcher out of Olive Branch, batted .464 with 12 round-trippers last season for the Conquistadors.
Moreland, a pitcher and outfielder from Amory High, notched a 7-1 mound record and 1.53 ERA to go along with a .456 batting average. Crosswhite, a pitcher and third baseman out of Madison, went 8-1 with a 0.95 ERA for Madison Ridgeland Academy.