Southern Miss baseball receives 4 verbal commitments
The Southern Miss baseball program has recently received verbal commitments from three junior college prospects and a high school pitcher.
The four players are Meridian Community College infielder/outfielder Jaylon Keys, Northwest Mississippi CC right-hander Colt Smith, Eastfield (Texas) CC shortstop Casey Maack and Northlake Christian (La.) left-handed pitcher Sean Tweedy.
Smith, a Myrtle native, was second-team All-MACJC as a freshman last year for the Rangers.
Smith, who stands 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, was 6-2 with a 2.88 ERA in 14 appearances, including 12 starts, last season. He had two complete-game shutouts, struck out 49 and walked 26 in 65.2 innings. Smith was 7-3 with a 1.32 ERA and 85 strikeouts in his senior season at Myrtle High School.
Maack announced his commitment Tuesday on Twitter after having a big season at the plate for Eastfield College in the Dallas area. He batted .441 with 12 homers and 59 RBIs to earn NJCAA Div. III First-Team All-American.
According to EastfieldNews.com, Maack's family has quite the baseball background. His father, Mike, pitched in the Minnesota Twins organization. His uncle, Wade Rowdon, was a utility infielder for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles. His grandfather, Glenn Rowdon, played for the New York Yankees as an infielder.
Keys, a native of Bay Springs, batted .254 with six homers and 30 RBIs in 173 at-bats last season at Meridian CC, which announced his commitment to USM on Oct. 8.
Tweedy, who also plays first base, has a fastball that tops out at 89 miles per hour, according PrepBaseballReport.com. He stands 6-foot-1, 225 pounds and is headed into his senior campaign at Northlake Christian in Covington, La. The Louisiana Knights, Tweedy's select team, announced his commitment on Monday.
Gulfport right-handed pitcher Alex Nelms and Pearl River CC right-hander Jordan Hayes are among the players who previously committed to play for the Golden Eagles.
This story was originally published October 14, 2015 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Southern Miss baseball receives 4 verbal commitments ."