Official Site of Lamar County Trojan Baseball

The Lamar Co. Trojans Dugout Club held their Annual Meet The Trojans Banquet at 'The Meeting Place' on Wednesday night, Feb. 16th, while hosting a capacity crowd, including the Coaches, Players, & the Diamond Girls. The Varsity, JV, & Middle School Players for the 2011 Season were introduced by their respective coaches. And, the Diamond Girls were introduced by their coordinators .

A silent auction, door prizes, & an opportunity to become a member of the Trojans Dugout Club were added for the purpose of substance and entertainment during the evening. A Taco Bar & Desserts were -- also -- available to satiate the appetites of those that were in attendance.

The featured speaker for the evening was T.R. Lewis, a regional scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks Organization, that scouts prospective college & major league players for the states of Georgia, Alabama, & Mississippi.

Mr. Lewis' message to the players contrasted the game of baseball and how it mirrored life's challenges, during their baseball careers, and after their careers have been completed... More specifically, he mentioned -- that like baseball -- life can be a series of failures. He alluded to the stat -- that in baseball -- if you go 3-for-10 at the plate, then you will have been deemed as being very successful. A career .300 hitter in the game of baseball is a measuring stick for success at the plate. He said, it's the other 7-times when you failed, that measures your character and resolve. And, that it is a part of the evaluation process of your approach to the game. Those struggles mirror the failures that you will have to face, and deal with in life in competitive situations, when competing in the work force, and how that you will be able to handle them, according to Mr. Lewis.

Mr. Lewis, also, stated that the game of baseball is really an 'incredible life teacher'. The importance of character-building, team-work, self-discipline, work-ethic, & leadership-development are all examples of the tools & skills, that you will need to compete in whatever endeavor(s) that you will choose, after you graduate from high school / college.

Along the lines of his job as a professional scout, he used the term hypothesis, as an 'educated-guess', to describe how that scouts go about evaluating players. Following up on that statement.. He said that beyond the evaluation of the prospects physical tools, which can be measured in terms of size, foot-speed, arm-strength, & bat-speed, that an even more important task is evaluating is the player's mental makeup.

For example... How does the player handle failure, how does he carry himself on-&-off of the field of play, does he have a presence about him, does he show leadership, & is he a team player? These are just some of the strengths & weaknesses that are evaluated by a professional scout when evaluating the player's mental makeup.

Citing some major league statistics on a player's chances of making the big leagues, Mr. Lewis said, that out of the top 200 prospects in high school, JUCO, & college that are drafted in the 1st round, that only 67% of these guys reach the big leagues for 1-day. And, then the percentages fall -- even further -- from that point. Those stats were given to underscore the difficulty of making it to the major leagues, and getting any playing time when a player gets there...

In finishing up his address, he advised the players to appreciate your coaches and teammates. And, to respect the game of baseball, as it is part of our culture, and is the national past time. Those in attendance gave him a standing ovation, as the evening concluded...

A capacity crowd turned-out on Monday night, Feb. 15th, at the Middle School Cafeteria for the Annual Meet The Trojans Preseason Banquet. Coaches, Players, Parents & Guests were treated to a menu of chili, chilidogs, baked potatoes & all of the trimmings to get things started... Players from the Varsity, the JV, & the Middle School Squads were introduced by their respective coaches. And, the 2010 Diamond Girls were, also, introduced by the Diamond Girls Coordinator. Door Prizes and a Silent Auction added to the suspense & pleasure of those in attendance for the evening.

The guest speaker for the occasion was Robert Morgan, an assistant coach at Georgia Southwestern State University, a Division II School, in Americus. Coach Morgan stressed the importance of teamwork, academics, character & work ethic, as part of the process of being successful in, both, baseball & in life.

Coach Morgan, the Recruiting Coordinator for the Hurricanes of Georgia Southwestern State University, related some of the aspects of what He looks for in a player. GSSU is a Division II school, that plays in the Peach Belt Conference. First of all, the player has to meet the entrance requirements on the ACT. If that criteria is met, then the coach looks for the speed that is necessary to play on a big field, the ability of the prospect to pitch & play defense, & how the player carries himself from pregame drills, to the consistency he shows in his overall approach to the game. Coach Morgan implied that a lot can be determined about a player by just watching him throw & catch in the pregame warmups. More specifically, if the player doesn't take that part of the process seriously, then it goes against his chances of impressing a coach that is assessing his qualifications, while watching from the stands. Another factor that helps the prospective player make a good impression on the coach is for the player to call the coach and express an interest in playing at the school. That action by the player establishes a personal connection between himself, and the coach that is recruiting him.

David Beasley -- The Head Baseball Coach At Berry College In Rome, GA, Was The 'Featured Speaker' For The ANNUAL MEET THE TROJANS BANQUET That Was Held At The LCMS Cafeteria At 6:00 P.M. On Monday, February The 16th, 2009. Coach Beasley Delivered A Powerful Message To The Players & Parents On What It Takes To Be Successful In Baseball And In Life. Basically, What Coach Beasley Said, Was... "You Have To Do It The Right Way -- There Are No Shortcuts To Being Successful. Keep Your Priorities In Order. And, Accept Your Role On The Team, Whatever That Might Be..." Coach Beasley, Also, Stressed The Importance Of Doing Well In The Classroom... Stating That... "If You Get Your Education, That Nobody Can Take It Away From You." Coach Beasley Paid The Trojan Players & Coaches A Compliment By Saying... "That Out Of All Of The Groups That Was At His Camp At Berry College This Past Summer -- The Lamar Co. Group Was The Most Well-Behaved..." Coach Beasley Finished His Presentation To The Group, While Receiving A Standing Ovation From All That Was In Attendance...

Coach David Beasley with a group of Trojan Players at the banquet. L-R: Bailey Thompson, Keaton Brown, Marc English, T.J. English, Ben Cone, Dustin Patrick, Devin Couch, Coach Beasley, & Ryan Lovick.

Seniors Blane Parker & Calvin Adams will continue their baseball careers at Gordon College with The Highlanders in 2009. Shown in the photo above are Calvin Adams (front left) & Blane Parker. LCCHS Principal Derick Austin, Trojans Head Coach Greg Williams, & LCAD Calvin Scandrett look-on during the ceremony. Congrats to Blane and Calvin for 4-great years of baseball at Lamar Co., and for the best in the future...