Southern adds eight players for baseball

From staff reports

sports@joplinglobe.com

Eight new players have signed to join the Missouri Southern baseball program for the 2010 season.

The signings, announced by coach Bryce Darnell on Wednesday, including four high school players, three junior college transfers and one Division I transfer.

“We feel like we have had a successful recruiting class,” Darnell said. “Adding these players to the players we signed in the fall gives us a great mix of pitching and speed. We needed to address our pitching depth and our ability to steal bases. We are looking forward to the start of fall practice.”

Taylor Byrd (Joplin), Kyle Coatney (Monett), Grant Thompson (Galena) and Trey Carlton (Springfield Kickapoo) join the Lions as freshmen.

Patrick Deao (Neosho County Community College), Tyler Jinks (Three Rivers CC) and Mitch Albright (Fort Scott CC) are the junior college transfers.

Josh Turner is a transfer from the University of Louisiana-Monroe.

Byrd is a 5-foot-11, 170-pound middle infielder. A second-team all-Ozark Conference and all-district selection, Byrd helped the Eagles to conference and district championships in 2009. A two-year starter, he also lettered two years for the football team at Joplin. The son of Stephen and Teresa Byrd, Taylor plans to be a nursing major at Southern.

Coatney is a 6-3, 180 pound pitcher/infielder. He holds the Monett school records for career strikeouts, innings pitched, complete games, and games pitched.

Coatney was a first team all-Big 8 Conference selection as a senior and also earned all-district honors. Coatney also started two years for the Cubs’ basketball team, while earning three letters. The son of Mark and Penni Coatney, Kyle is undecided on his major at Southern.

Thompson is a 6-0, 170 outfielder. A three-year starter on the Galena baseball team, Thompson started two years as a wide receiver and defensive back for the football program.

Thompson was a first team all-CNC League and Class 3A all-state selection as a senior, helping his team to a regional championship and a runnerup finish in the state tournament.

Thompson was a participant in the KABC All-Star game and had a milestone this past year, going the entire regular season without striking out. The son of Dale and Debbie Thompson, Grant plans on majoring in business management.

Carlton is a 5-9, 170 outfielder. He was a member of district championship teams in his sophomore and junior seasons, while leading the Chiefs in stolen bases in 2008. He was a three-year varsity starter and an American Legion All-Star in 2008. The son of David and Donna Carlton, Trey plans on majoring in business.

Deao is a 6-3, 185 native of Omaha, Neb., where he prepped at Skutt Catholic High School before enrolling at Neosho County. At Skutt, he was a two-year starter in the outfield for coach Keith Englekamp. He also participated in wrestling and cross country for the Skyhawks.

The past two seasons, he’s played for coach Steve Murray at Neosho. This year, Deao hit .345 with five home runs and 30 RBI and was a first-team all-conference selection.

Deao was named the regional defensive player of the year and was a runnerup as national defensive player of the year. He set school records for triples in a season (5), as well as 15 outfield assists in a season and 21 over two years. The son of Dave and Ellen Deao, Patrick will be a secondary education major.

Jinks is a 6-0, 205 native of Springfield, where he prepped at Glendale High School before enrolling at Three Rivers Community College. A four-year starter for coach Howard Bell at Glendale, Jinks served as a pitcher and outfielder. As a sophomore he hit .405 with 38 strikeouts on the mound and he followed that up with a junior campaign where he struck out 42 batters and hit .350. As a senior, he was a first team all-Ozark Conference selection after striking out 52 batters in 42 innings and hitting .360.

At Three Rivers, Jinks played for coach Stacey Burkey where he was a starting pitcher each season. In two years for the Raiders, Jinks accumulated 81 strikeouts in 111 innings, while carrying an ERA of 3.52. The son of Stan and Peggy Jinks, Tyler will be a business management major.

Albright is a 6-1, 187 native of Galena, Kan., where he played for coach Kenny Cook and the Bulldogs, starting each season. He was also a member of the football, basketball and track teams at Galena, He was a first-team all-conference, all-district and all-state selection, while being named to the Joplin Globe’s all-area team. Albright was also an all-conference selection in both basketball and football at Galena, playing in the Army All-Star Game.

After graduation, Albright enrolled at Labette County Community College and played this past season at Fort Scott Community College for coach John Hill and the Greyhounds. Albright went 1-1 on the mound with eight saves and a team-leading 2.29 ERA, striking out 19 batters in 18.1 innings. The son of Ray and Tracy Albright, Mitch plans on majoring in math.

Turner, 6-1 and 195, played one season at Louisiana-Monroe. The pitcher is a native of New Boston, Texas where he lettered in baseball, football and track.

Turner played his freshman season at Texarkana (Texas) College where he posted a 6-3 record and helped the team to a conference title. He transferred to Weatherford (Texas) College where he went 10-1 as a sophomore, earning first-team all-conference honors. As a junior at ULM, Turner posted a 1-0 mark in 11 appearances, striking out eight batters in 11 innings. The son of David and Paula Turner, Josh will major in general studies.

Volunteers from Tuscaloosa paying it forward in Joplin

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