1996

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Warrior baseballers open at 2-3; Baseball season is underway at East Central Community College in Decatur, and all indications point to another successful cam– paign for head coach Jamie Clark and his Diamond Warriors. have a successful offensive out– put, Clark said lead-off hitter Carey Lambert, a sophomore infielder from Gonzales,

action. Clark said Ivy has a good off-speed assortment of pitches. Hurler Mark Davis of Stonewall spin time in 1995 with Brooks Bryan of Philadelphia as the "bullrcn ace" but had some arm trouble last fall However, he is expected to fully recover and should ha"e a productive season. Clark is also expecting a lot from his freshmen pitchers, led by southpaw Kenny Estep of Bastrop, Louisiana. Estep, who posted a 17-1 high school mark in 1995, "throws veT) hard'' and has an "excellent" curve ball. Marcus Thames. a product of Louisville High School. is the "big surprise·· on this year's staff. Clark said Thames looked good in high school but has since added weight (about 15 pounds) and velocity. His fast ball was clocked at 89 miles per hour dur– ing a recent practice game. Also expected to help out on the mound is freshman Jason Latham of Monon who has a "great" arm but needs to gain experience to become even more. successful, Clark added. Another team strength is the infield where many talented play– ers are battling for positions. The 'defense is led by Lambert who has been described as the best defensive short stop in Mississippi by some scouts. "He has a great arm and good speed, and is even stronger than last year." Clark said. and added, Dumas is learning to switch-hit and has great athletic ability. Clark said his main concern is team hitting, which he hopes will come together. The Warriors will host Holmes this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. His other concern is replacing

Louisiana, and freshman infield– er Nick Dumns of Chatom, Alabama. who bats \ccond. must get on base and produce runs. They will be followed (in order) by freshman outfielder Brandon Williams, also of Gonzales, sophomore ou tfielder Greg McBride of Newton, freshman pitcher/outfielder Marcus Thames of Louisville, first base– man Eric Butler of Clarkdale, freshman fir~t baseman Ray Ivy of Louisville and sophomore out– fielder Tommy Bost of Philadelphia. Last season McBride batted .290 and had five home runs, while Bost hit .277 and c.ollected 27 RBI's. Clark said Butler had a great fall practice, as did Williams and McBnde. One of the team's major strengths entering the '96 season is the pitching staff, Clark stressed, which features out– standing returnees and several promising freshmen. The ECCC hurlers are led by sophomore Willis Lally of Breaux Bridge. Louisiana, who posted a 3-l mark in 1995. Clark said Lally has added velocity and better off-speed pitches this year. He has already committed to con– tinue his athlct1c career at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. Also returning on the mound is Joey Rigdon of Decatur who was 4-2 last year. Clark said Rigdon has a "very good" curve ball and "just really enjoys being a pitcher as he clearly demonstrates." Louisville product Ray Ivy will also see plenty of mound

Last year ECCC posted a record 30 season victories and Coach Clark expects his team to continue its winning ways, espe– cially if the talent-ladened Warriors stay focused and healthy. "The biggest ditference in th1s year's team compared to the '95 squad concerns attitude and work habits. Last year's team never really came together as a unit; too many guys we were counting on did not surface as we thought. But this year's players made up their minds in fall practice that 1996 is going to be a season that everyone pulls together," said Coach Clark. He added, "The 1996 squad is not only dedicated but also a pleasure to coach. To this point, this is the most enjoyable group we've had here-they are really working hard." Clark also stated the team 's off-season workouts should play a big part in helping produce another winning campaign. "We had the best off-season I can recall. All team members improved themselves physically. We also developed a much-need– ed mental toughness which of course plays a big part in main– taining a positive attitude," he said. Coach Clark said there are many "keys" to a successful '96 campaign, which began at I p.m. Wednesday against visiting Mississippi Delta in a non-divi– sion double-header. For the Diamond Warriors to

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