2016 Combined

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Weekof m~ numbers were: .24§ batting nwrage, 115 t ··me runs, and 301 RBI. He holds the record for average at bats per home run at 14.8 and reached 100 home runs in 1,549 at bats-fewer than any other player with 100 home runs. Thames began coaching in 2013 as hitting coach of the Class A-Advanced Tampa Yankees. In 2014, he was named Yankees Douhle-A Trenton 1 hunder and advanced in 2015 to hitting coach of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RaiJRiders. After the 2015 season Thames was promoted to assistant hitting coach of the New York Yankees. Thames and his wife, Danna, have four children: Deja, Jade, Marcus Jr., and Ella. Thames' number "24" at East Central wa~ retirt>d in 2007 and he wa::. mducted Tigers'

l'ormer East Central Community College baseball standout Marcus Thames was one of 15 individuals inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday, April 26, at the 10th annual induction banquet held at the Clyde Muse Center on Hinds Community College's Rankin Campus. Thames, currently the assistant hitting coach for the New York Yankees, is the first ECCC baseball player to join the Mi s si s sippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame. The Louisville native played baseball at East Central in 1996-1997. ·Thames led the 1997 team with a then school record .420 batting average, 13 home runs, and 70 RBI. He was named NJCAA

All-American,

All

R<·g1on and MACJC All-State fol lowing the season. Thames was then drafted by the New York Yankees. Thames' big-league career began with a first-pitch home run off Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks at Yankee Stadium in June 2002. He was tr • l 1 t h,. 'I\ uis Rangers m June ~003 , ag.11n h1ttmg a home run in his first at-bat. Thames was granted free-agency and signed with the Detroit Tigers m December 2003. The 2006 Tigers won the American League pennant but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Thames set career highs dur ing the championship season batting .256 with 26 home runs and 60 RBis in only 348 at-bats. In 2008, he became the first Tiger in team history hit eight home runs over seven consecu tive games. He hit his lOOth career homer in 2009. Thames returned to - the Yankees in 2010 23,

mto the coJlege Sport:. Hall of Fame in 2013. Thames joins East

franchise ·

9entral's mductees

previous Marcus

Mann (2015), Evelyn "Snoopy" Bender (2014), Samuel "~ammy" Pace (2013), Richard Harris (2012), Dr. Clyde Muse (2011), Van Chancellor (2010), Joe Clark (2009), Earl Marshall and Lamar Blount (2008), and Walter Arno Vincent Lucille Wood, and Den,~r B1ackeen (2007).

APPEARED IN:

CARTHAGINIAN

NESHOBA DEMOCRAT scon COUNTY TIMES

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NEWTON COUNTY , playiJ?.g League SPIRIT OF MORTON Championship Seri~s and completed his 1 . . MERIDIAN STAR p .aymg career lil 2011 - with the Los Angeles in the American

WINSTON COUNTY JOU_R_N_A_L-- .--;-.--- - -.L ___ CLARION-LEDGER -----------

Dodgers His c·lreer OTHER ___-:.....___ ~--~-----------------