04/27/05 - Jason Coats, a 6-0, 190-pound, junior, righthanded pitcher for Starkville Academy, may very well be one of the top junior pitchers in the state of Mississippi. And it appears several colleges have taken note of his pitching prowess because his coach is starting to receive calls about him, even from a team he has grown up a fan of, Mississippi State. An excellent student, Jason has taken an unofficial visit to Memphis where former MSU pitching coach, Daron Schoenrock, is now the head coach. His stats prior to this year were 7-6. As a junior, he has really stepped it up, going 7-2 with 2 saves and an ERA of 1.85. And something even more impressive is he hasn't allowed more than 6 hits in any one outing. The improvement is not unexpected when you consider that since his freshman season, he has upped his fastball approximately 8 to 10 miles per hour.

A pitcher I wrote about a few days ago, Pillow Academy's Louis Coleman, is currently 7-0 on the year. In 46 2/3 innings he has allowed just 4 earned runs on 22 hits and 15 walks. He has fanned 83. Also an excellent hitter, Coleman is batting .510 with 11 doubles and 3 home runs. The pros are showing interest with the likes of the Cardinals, Braves, Nationals and Rockies attending his games.

04/22/05 - Another sophomore pitcher to watch is Kody James, 6-2, 185-pounder who pitches for Taylorsville HS. Recently, he was clocked consistently at 87 mph, with good movement, into the 4th inning. A newcomer to pitching, this is only his second year to pitch.

04/18/05 - Keep an eye on Porters Chapel Academy (Vicksburg) sophomore pitcher Michael Busby. Busby, who also is the QB for the football team, throws in the high 80's, topping out at 92 miles per hour.