February 7, 2022
The East Central Community College baseball team is ready to hit the diamond in 2022, riding the momentum from a strong finish in 2021. The Warriors posted the best finish since the 2016 season last year as the team finished NJCAA Region 23 runners-up after a historic effort at the region tournament in Poplarville last May. The Warriors closed out the year 30-17 which provided a lot of energy heading into the off-season.
The Warriors impressive play did not go unnoticed last season as the team found itself in numerous NJCAA polls, and after picking up some key recruits, the Warriors enter 2022 ranked No. 14 in the preseason poll.
Leading the way for ECCC returners is Clayton Cook (Mize). Cook, a Second Team All-MACCC selection in 2021, seemed unable to miss at the plate as he led the Warriors with a .424 batting average in 2021. The outfielder only had six games this season where did not record a hit and had 26 multi-hit games. From the leadoff position, he drove in 40 runs and scored 52 times with 16 singles and a team-high six homers.
Another big bat returning to the lineup this season is Kade Turnage (Picayune). Turnage posted 24 RBIs last season with four doubles, one triple, and three homers. The catcher finished with an impressive .312 batting average on the year and looks to continue to be a force in the ECCC lineup.
ECCC's power-hitting Austin Lee (Madison) also returns for his sophomore campaign in 2022. The 6'6 first baseman blasted five home runs in 2021, a number he looks to improve on this season.
Trey Lewis (Silas, Ala.), Ty McCollough (Greenville), Coleton Smith (Gulfport), and Conner Hicks (Stringer) are other stellar bats, three of whom posted double-digit RBI seasons a year ago, that are returning for the Warriors to add even more firepower to an already dangerous ECCC batting order.
Along with the host of talented returners, the ECCC coaching staff has recruited a multitude of players that can hit for power to all parts of the field, while simultaneously using their speed and athleticism to be dangerous runners in the basepaths. This combination makes for an explosive, high-power offense that will be fun to watch in 2022.
Gage Tufnell (Hurley) is ECCC's leading returner on the mound in 2022. The 6'3 right-hander earned All-MACCC honorable mention a year ago for his efforts. He proved to be one of the Warriors' key starters in last season's run with 11 starts. As a freshman, he finished with a 5-1 record and a 4.6 ERA as he struck out 25 batters over 45.0 innings.
Ervin Simmons (Greenville) also returns for his sophomore season after throwing 26 innings as a freshman. The righty fanned 24 batters during that span and posted a 2-2 recorded and 5.88 ERA. Miles Miller (Toomsuba) is also back after making 12 appearances last season. In his 12 innings pitched he struck out nine batters, posted a 1-1 record, and had a 3.75 ERA.
Joining the returners are a group of freshman pitchers, eight righties and three lefties, that round out an impressive staff. The group has enough variety to provide different looks in starters, relievers, closers, and some guys that can get the Warriors out of jams. Depth in the pitching is needed in the MACCC to make post-season runs, and with this talented group of incoming freshmen, the Warriors are set to make a splash.
In the field, the Warriors have traditionally been an extremely sound team, posting a .948 fielding percentage a year ago, a mark that ECCC looks to even further improve in 2022 with a strong group of gloves in all parts of the field.
Along with new players joining the team in 2022, coach Neal Holliman will have a new assistant in James Donohue. Donohue, a Ridgefield Park, New Jersey native joins seasoned assistant coaches Adam Chamblee and Kyle Flessner who are entering their third and second seasons, respectively.
With a strong group of returning sophomores, that saw a stellar post-season run that ended just one game shy of a trip to the NJCAA World Series, a talented group of incoming freshmen that provide depth at nearly every position, and a coaching staff that is eager to take the ECCC baseball program to new heights, 2022 will a year to watch at the Clark/Gay Baseball Complex in Decatur.
