Martin, Rogers and Fry
are latest Panola success stories
Sunday, May 18, 2008
For promising baseball talents, Panola College in Carthage is one destination of choice.
The two-year institution, a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association's Region XIV, has prepared many players, including current Texas Rangers' hitting instructer Rudy Jarmillo, who was a junior college All-American in 1971 as well as Hallsville native Ronnie Gideon (1984), a coach in the Colorado Rockies organization, for success at the major league level.
Panola also forwards an average of five players a year into the ranks of four-year college programs, having recently had Ponies sign with NCAA Division I programs such as LSU, Texas A&M, Louisville, University of Southern Mississippi and Oral Roberts.
Daniel Martin, a graduate of Harleton High School, recently inked a scholarship with McNeese State Univesity of the Southland Conference, one of three D-I commits from Panola this spring.
The strapping 6-foot, 9-inch, 265-pound right-handed flame thrower, who was drafted by the New York Mets out of high school but opted to further his education, finished the season with a 1-1 record in 17 relief appearances for the Ponies while striking out 27 batters in 24 innings of work. Martin held opponents to a batting average of .231. Two former Hallsville High School baseball standouts, Cody Rogers and Shane Fry, recently completed their first year as starting outfielders for the Ponies.
Rogers batted .339, fourth highest average on the squad among regulars, while stroking seven homers (a team high) and driving in 43 runs while playing in 52 of Panola's 55 contests in 2008.
He also stole 19 bases in 21 attempts, second best on the squad.
Defensively, Rogers committed only four errors in 96 chances for a fielding average of .958.
Fry, an engineering major, concluded his freshman season hitting at a .280 clip, with a pair of home runs and 30 runs batted in. He also slammed 10 doubles on the year while swiping 11 bases in 15 tries. Panola (33-23) wrapped up its season May 11, losing 8-7 to Wharton Junior College in the NJCAA Regional Tournament played in Mount Pleasant.
Contact sports writer Jay Neal at jneal@coxmnm.com.
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