Wildcats send six sophomores to four-year programs
Published 3:20 pm Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Lucas Scott
Graham Hackbarth
Austin Moffett
John Moore
Jonathan Turner
Peyton Lee
By Stan Caldwell
PRCC Sports Information
POPLARVILLE — Six sophomores from the 2017 baseball team at Pearl River Community College will be continuing their careers at four-year colleges after signing scholarship offers, including two with William Carey University.
The Crusaders signed third baseman Lucas Scott and designated hitter Jonathan Turner to scholarship offers. Wildcat pitcher-outfielder Peyton Lee signed with Southeastern Louisiana, utility player John Moore signed with Mississippi College and outfielder signed Austin Moffett with West Alabama.
Shortstop Graham Hackbarth signed with Louisiana Tech in the early signing period in November, as did right-handed pitcher Drake Nightengale, with Delta State.
However, Nightengale was injured midway through the season, was granted a medical redshirt, and plans to return to PRCC in 2018.
Scott, a product of George County High School, was Pearl River’s leading hitter among the team’s starters last season with a .340 batting average. He finished with four home runs, nine doubles, three triples and 26 RBIs. He was a second-team All-State selection in the MACJC this season.
Turner, a left-handed batter who prepped at Parklane Academy, batted .270 this season with five homers, six doubles, 26 RBIs and a team-high 30 walks. He was a second-team All-State selection as a freshman in 2016 after batting .354 with 25 RBIs and 37 walks.
Lee was also a second-team All-State selection in 2016 after leading the Wildcats with a .395 batting average as a freshman. This season, the right-hander was PRCC’s pitching leader, posting a 7-2 record, with a 4.98 earned-run average, 66 strikeouts and 17 walks in 65 innings. He also hit .264 with two homers, three triples, five doubles and 18 RBIs.
Moore, another left-handed batter who played at Pass Christian, hit .400 with 11 RBIs in 30 at-bats, mostly as a pinch-hitter. His dramatic pinch-hit homer with two out in the ninth inning was a big blow in PRCC’s 5-4 win over top-ranked Jones County in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament.
Moffett, a product of Taylorsville, batted .312, with two homers, three triples, seven doubles and 27 RBIs, and he had a team-high 20 stolen bases in 23 attempts. He finished with a .315 career batting average for his two seasons as a Wildcat.
Hackbarth, who played for Oak Mountain High in Birmingham, Ala., hit .270 with three homers, 10 doubles and 30 RBIs. He was a second-team All-State pick in 2016, when he hit .351 with 12 doubles and 32 RBIs.
The Wildcats finished 29-20 this past season, advancing to the semifinals of the Region 23 Tournament in Michael Avalon’s first season as head coach.
