New 2018 commit!!

[MsStateBaseball]

You read right. C Luke Hancock from Houston Ms. Bats left, throws right.

[Tough Dawg]

Being from Houston I can confirm this as true. Great player. Great kid by all accounts.

[CadaverDawg]

2018? Good gracious. How long til someone commits in the womb?

[Tough Dawg]

Cohen did this with another kid from Houston a few years back. Shempert was the kid's last name and he was a sophomore when he committed. Never made it to campus though.

Hancock probably warrants the early offer more than the Shempert kid did.

[Todd4State]

Shempert was a good hitter, but he had some personal issues that prevented him from making it to campus.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Shempert was a good hitter, but he had some personal issues that prevented him from making it to campus.

Shempert was an outstanding pure hitter- but he also had some baggage that made me... not exactly heartbroken about him not getting to campus.

[Todd4State]

Shempert was an outstanding pure hitter- but he also had some baggage that made me... not exactly heartbroken about him not getting to campus.

I hate it for him- it's sad to have talent like that and not use it. Personally, I think he would have been a DH guy for us. He didn't really profile at any position very well.

[Todd4State]

Now Hancock- I've heard he is a good player. He was on the varsity as an eighth grader and hit over .300. He had a really good BB/K ratio for an eighth grader as well. Sometimes you see elite players playing on the varsity at these smaller schools in Mississippi. If he's at Madison Central, he probably doesn't play until he is a sophomore.

[MsStateBaseball]

Of course Todd is correct. At MC, he would be on JV team, might play a little on varsity at sophomore. But Luke, when he gets a little older, needs to be on really good travel team. Shempert told a guy I know he was coming to State last year and he didn't. Cohen wouldn't accept him apparently. Standards have been raised.

[Tough Dawg]

Oddly enough Luke has played on a really good travel team his whole life and they were called the Mississippi Rebels based out of Oxford. Starting shortstop was Bianco's son. They used OM's indoor facilities a few times.

As for Shempert he did not try to attend State last year. That ship sailed after he graduated from Oak Hill. After his juco stint at MDCC he tried out for a few pro teams, but it didn't work out either. He is back home now.

[MsStateBaseball]

Thanks for the info.

[DLGDawg]

Lukes pop time is ridiculous for his age. 1.8-1.9. That's what I was told.

[Tough Dawg]

You're right. He did that at the Mississippi Elite showcase that was held at TCPS in Tupelo back in July. Thompson was there I believe. They were on Luke well before then though.

[MsStateBaseball]

If you notice, our coaches trend is to look early at catchers and pitchers. If a kid can is a great defensive catcher in the 8th-9th grade well, guess what, he will be later too. Same with pitchers. Butch can tell if they are going to be good by the 9th-10th grade. They are seeing these kids in a competitive setting, it will translate later in HS to being a very good player. This is the trend now. We finally realized, I guess. No one has signed any form. The details of the scholarship, etc comes later.

Hitters on the other hand, need IMO more time to develop. Tons of examples out there. Adam Frazier, Hunter Renfroe. Really not worried about recruiting quality players. We get our fair share. To get to that greatness level, we need to get a Greg Picket type, that will hit HR's, etc. We need another Will Clark in each class. If you saw Clark in the 9th grade, you would offer him right then.

[Todd4State]

Hitting to me, is the most difficult thing in the sport to master. In high school, a lot of times a guy like a Clark isn't going to see anything to hit or he is going to be hitting fastballs that are 82 and breaking balls that hang more often than not or the pitcher can't throw it consistently for a strike, so they just lay off of it. Good hitters, their God given talent can carry them at that level without them having to try all that hard sometimes or they aren't forced to adjust at that level.

But then they get into the SEC or pro ball and then all of a sudden everyone else is about as good as they are and the good ones that move through and progress are the ones that are able to make adjustments. I guarantee you that every single hitter we recruit was a good hitter in high school. It's just a question of who can adjust and how quickly they can adjust. Compare Hunter Renfroe to Wes Rea from an adjustment standpoint. (OK, yeah Rea doesn't have Renfroe's bat speed and that does matter) And while Rea doesn't have Renfroe's upside, he would be so much better as a player if he would use the whole field more. And maybe that's something that Wes learned last season and this summer.

[Tough Dawg]

Hitting is never mastered. That's why you can get to the hall of fame only getting a hit 30% of your ABs over the life of your MLB career. But you are right it's all about who can adjust as they progress to maintain success. The best example I can think of locally in MS would be Brian Dozier from Fulton. He was never a great hitter, but he was always a good hitter in HS and college. His ability to adjust at every level is what has given him the success he's had to this point. And plus BD was always very coachable and that's a special trait that will separate a lot of the good players from being great.

[Harrydawg]

Is this the same Shempert that played at MDCC this past year or so? He can hit a baseball but Moultrie knee is was and will continue to be an issue