MIF04

Article on Tim Ferguson's committment to Ole Miss. [Hidden Content]

See below.

Exactly. The event at Lamar is not for the local talent (for example, the SE Texas Sun Devils were not invited nor informed of it. I doubt any other local clubs were, either). It is being put on by a Houstn organization (Triple Play Baseball of Texas) and contains 4 teams: Houston Heat (Houston -- 1 of their 4 teams. Their 3 'better' teams are in Houston for a tournament) Texas Magic (Houston) Houston Raiders (Houston) Houston Red Dogs (Houston) In looking at the rosters, the closest I can find to a local player is 1 from BH and another from Huffman. And how many college coaches do you really think are gonna be there over the Labor Day holiday?

I think a quality showcase would be a great idea but I doubt the ability to get sufficient quality college programs here when they can make 2 or 3 trips during the summer and see the best in the country. I just don't know how you motivate them to do that. I don't think Lamar has any interest in this for the local players. They've never done it, never asked for it, etc. I have no other comment about Lamar and how they recruit...if you want to call it that.

WB never seems to be a real threat in 5A? Over the last 3 years, they have played in the toughest 5A district in the area (maybe the entire state) and have gone playoff, playoff, 4th place. In each of those years, they won 20+ games. I think they have been a real threat up there. Second, last year's 6 and 7 hole hitters for West Brook did play select. Third, every player at West Brook (like other local high schools) field summer league Connie Mack teams. They can use that time to develop as well.

To respond to some of the previous posters: (1) I do not think that select baseball has 'destroyed' or 'damaged' the local leagues. Over the past 5-10 years, the 'older' local leagues have been in a general state of disrepair. That has been due more to a lack of leadership/enthusiasm than to select baseball. The one local league that has flourished has been Mid County Babe Ruth which continues to provide a first rate opportunity for ball players of all skill levels, etc. Further, that league's boundaries extend throughout all of Southeast Texas thus assuring that no ballplayer gets left behind. Look at their rosters and you will find players from these high schools/communities: PNG, Nederland, WOS, HF, Vidor, BC, LCM, West Brook, PA Memorial, High Island, Lumberton, OF, Warren, Beaumont Kelly, HJ, Buna, Silsbee and East Chambers. Mid County is where the local league players from everywhere in SE Texas play. Following the previous poster's logic, one would argue that Mid County Babe Ruth (by its 'extended' boundaries) takes players from their local leagues and they are responsible for their demise. I disagree but the logic certainly follows. (2) I disagree that select baseball is only for the wealthy. For one, I know that no one on the Sun Devils pays 1cent for uniforms, coaching, travel, etc. Other reputable organizations also provide scholarships or sponsorships for those who are cannot afford the cost. I know because I have been asked (and have provided) funds to other organizations for this very purpose. I also recognize that there are other, less reputable select organizations that are really not select teams -- they are collections of ball players who are promised 'hope' in return for excessive fees (a/k/a money to line the coaches'/organizers' pockets). One such organization unfortunately exists here in SE Texas. Both select baseball, and Mid County, has done a tremendous amount to improve the overall quality of baseball in this area. Does anyone really think that this quality would be better without them?

Okay, boys and girls: here it is. Select vs. High School? Which does/has done more to get kids to college/better colleges? Let's take the 2007 committments to date (because, right now, its a shorter list): David Murphy (West Brook/Sun Devils) to Univ. of Houston -- outstanding player at WB. UH followed him this summer (esp. event in Austin) and decided to make early offer and lock him down. This is one for select. Johnny Dishon (Bridge City/Sun Devils) to LSU -- one of the best athletes in the area ever. While someone would have signed him anyway, he does not get exposed to the higher quality school without select. LSU followed him for 2 weeks in Georgia (after the new coaching staff got hired) then followed him to California. All select. Result? Johnny's a Tiger. Another one for select. Chase Dempsay (Baytown Sterling/Sun Devils) to Univ. of Houston -- the MVP of Dist. 21-5A is not actually a surprise to local recruiters but UH put him on their radar when following Murphy. Dempsay also gets seen by a # of major programs this summer, gets UH to 'up' their offer and goes to UH. This is probably a push between select and high school. Tim Ferguson (West Brook/Sun Devils) to Ole Miss -- without select, he doesn't get seen by Ole Miss pure and simple. Granted, Rice was on him due to all of the scouts following Jay Bruce but those guys disappeared his junior year. They did see him in the summer and got Rice in the mix along with Notre Dame, LSU, etc. Another one for select. My fingers hurt....I'll let some of you other guys comment on this group and the previous classes. I think we'll find support for both....

I have moved the 'Select vs. High School' portion of this thread to its own thread. Post there. Any posts about Tim and his committment to Ole Miss can be posted here. Have I mentioned lately how proud I am?

I hate to turn "Tim's thread" into a debate on select baseball, but... (1) Select baseball gets a lot of kids seen when they othewise would not. Even with tools, they remain hidden unless they are displayed in front of the right audience. (2) An example is Johnny Dishon. His tools are off the charts. He is a legitimate 6.5, with a 90+ arm from the OF and the potential of power at the plate. Nevertheless, he got seen (and in the pipeline) in select. That doesn't mean Johnny wasn't a major D-1 player before. It does mean that kids like him (and Tim Ferguson, for example) need to get on the select/showcase circuit so their talents are widely seen. Otherwise, you are going to be at the mercy of the local schools only. (3) A particular note about some of the kids that have played with Tim in the summer with the SE Texas Sun Devils: Class of 2006: Clayton Ehlert (LCM) -- Texas A&M Wes Schneider (LCM) -- Laredo Kevin Angelle (BC) -- Texas A&M/San Jacinton Broc Haymon (BC) -- McNeese Jonathan Conrad (Sulphur) -- McNeese Matt Simon (Sulphur) -- McNeese Matison Smith (Ned) -- Lamar Branden Powell (PNG) -- Panola Tommy Roebuck (HJ) -- North Central Jason Fuqua (Sterling) -- Texas A&M Class of 2007: Tim Ferguson (WB) -- U. of Mississippi David Murphy (WB) -- U. of Houston Johnny Dishon (BC) -- LSU Chase Dempsay (Sterling) -- U. of Houston With a number of 2007 players left to commit. This doesn't mention the local guys who played with the Houston Heat (Dugas and Coleman). I am sure I've missed some but, the point is, it is a great (and talented) group of kids. The results (which include select baseball) speak for themselves. Back to the thread....I could not be prouder of Tim. He is a heckuva kid and a better son.

Tim Ferguson (INF) from Beaumont West Brook committed tonight to Ole Miss. Go Rebs.........

I think, at best, HF is a long shot to finish in the top 3 in that district. It will be a very good, very competitive district next season and HJ simply doesn't have the horses returning (or moving in) that Silsbee, Jasper, Bridge City, etc. has.

Johnny Dishon (OF-Bridge City) verbally committed Friday night to LSU (baseball). Congrats to Johnny.

Good luck to these guys. Great group of people and they deserve to win the whole shootin' match.

I thought Johnson was going to Lamar?

For those of you following recruiting in the 2007 class on a state-wide basis, there is a list at www.hsbaseballweb.com, under the Texas section.

Can you reveal who your 4 commits are from?

According to www.insideprepbaseball.com, David Murphy (3B -- Beaumont West Brook) has verbally committed to play at U of Houston.

I think this is a great idea. I hope a lot of HS coaches can 're-work' their tourney schedules to play in it. First, a wood bat tournament would be great. Second, the facilities at Woodville are top notch...for any classification. Third, Coach H is a class act with a class program. Give this idea a year or two to catch on, and then he'll be beating potential entries away with a stick....

Congrats to those two for a good run in the USA Jr. Olympics. A 5th place finish is an outstanding result. On a related note, the area has had a USA Jr. Olympics champion -- the SE Texas Sun Devils won that championship 2 years ago (probably the biggest/most prestigious tournament in the age group). That team was made up of all local players: Tim Ferguson (Bmt. WB) Mark Serna (Bmt. WB) David Murphy (Bmt. WB) Bobby Armstrong (Bmt. WB) Clayton Ehlert (LCM) Wes Schneider (LCM) Jake Rowell (LCM) Blake Buchanan (PNG) Branden Powell (PNG) Jacob Walker (PNG) Zach Harwood (PNG) Kris Hearn (PNG) Cody Mire (PNG) Johnny Dishon (BC) Broc Haymon (BC) Kevin Angelle (BC) Rocky Calhoun (Silsbee) Nick Ayers (WOS) To my knowledge, that was the only Texas team to ever win the event. One heckuva team....

I would think the 2 very early front runners in this district have to be Silsbee and BC. Silsbee has Schooling and McDonald back. As those 2 go, so go the Tigers next year. BC loses Angelle and Haymon but returns Stringer (who won huge game in playoffs vs. BH) and Meeks. Both of those kids will be pleasant surprises. The also return Dishon and Jackson to provide a solid core of offense. Jasper will be thin on the mound but has a lot of talent with Hart, et al. Parsons and Reagon will have to step up on the hill for them to be competitive for District championship. Beyond that, it will be a 'who knows?' for the 4th playoff spot. While I wish the new guy at WOS all the luck in the world, the little talent WOS had last year (Sparks, Ayers) graduated. They are (at best) in a rebuilding mode. It should be one heckuva district.

Good group of players and congrats to all who made it. Also note that there are 7 1st teams who are returning next year, as well as a ton of players named to their respective All District teams. Should be another great year of SE Texas baseball.

Both James Ewing (Arkansas-2b) and Michael Ewing (So Miss - 1b) were named to Collegiate Baseball's Freshmen All-American team. Congrats to the brothers Ewing (and to West Brook) for this honor. On a related note, James has transferred to So Miss to finish his collegiate career playing alongside his brother. Best of luck to both of them.

You are correct. He was at Vincent then moved to Memorial for current (but not for long) head coach David Green. His move back to WB is a huge boost for the Brook.