Foundational sophomore group to be celebrated Wednesday

PERKINSTON – Mississippi Gulf Coast baseball coach Rodney Batts was hired before last season after the incoming freshman class had been signed.

He considers himself fortunate, as the group will celebrate Sophomore Day on Wednesday against Copiah-Lincoln at MGM Park in Biloxi.

Tickets for the game at the home of the Biloxi Shuckers can be purchased at http://mgcccbulldogs/MGMtix. First pitch for the doubleheader is at 4 p.m.

The Bulldogs are 21-17 and in sixth in the MACJC at 11-11. Last year's team, however, struggled to a 12-23 record, their 12-15 conference mark just missing the playoff field.

"They were the backbone of our team last year," Batts said. "It hurt when we lost, and last year was a long year for us. They were right there where I was. They hurt every time we lost."

The sophomore class includes Justin Nussbaum, Brycen Burge, David Warman, Michael Shubert, Slater McCarty, Tyler Rachel, Ethan Necaise, Irby Dossett, John Shank, Brian Lane, Dillon Drake and Destin Aime.

They worked through a 2015 season where the playoffs weren't the payoff. They finished 12-15, barely missing the postseason.

This year with three doubleheaders left, Gulf Coast is 11 and in sixth place, two games ahead of Holmes in the loss column.

"They were disappointed when we didn't make the playoffs," Batts said. "They carried that over to this year. They've really instilled what I want in this program. They're a hard-working group who wants to be better today than they were yesterday."

Gulf Coast hasn't played any games in Perkinston this season while construction is going on at Ken "Curly" Farris Field. Batts thinks that, like the new grandstand rising out of the ground around that field, this sophomore group lay the groundwork for bigger and better things ahead.

"They're going to reap the results of it this year, hopefully," he said. "Hopefully we finish well and make the playoffs, but they built the foundation for this program for years to come. Hopefully, they can look back on their career here 20 years down the road and say they had a lot to do with the success of the program."

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