9 Thoughts: Ocean Springs' Steven Gallagher embodies what it means to be an all-Coast Player of the Year
Steven Gallagher and Travis Harper were deep in conversation -- so much so they didn't realize I was standing there.
At the Sun Herald's office early for our All-South Mississippi photo shoot, the two carried on and on about, quantum physics, molecular biology, propulsion or something else of that ilk.
Needless to say, whatever they were talking about went clear above my head.
I just stood there. Blank stare. It took a while for Gallagher to realize I was there.
Oh, hey. Uh ...
He tried to explain what on Earth he was talking about, but with minimal returns.
I tell that story to say it's nice to see standout athletes like the two Greyhounds who are much more than just athletes. With the NFL combine going on now there's been all sorts of numbers circulating about the chances of making it professionally.
Those numbers I understand -- and they're not good.
Gallagher and Harper are smart, well-rounded, young men. Gallagher is unsure what he wants to do for a career outside of something with computers. And that's perfectly OK.
If he uses the same determination academically as he does athletically, he'll have his pick of jobs once he graduates from William Carey.
2. Giving back
It was good to see a young athlete, only 19, already thinking about giving back to the community.
The camp itself was the first in what Bradley hopes will become a yearly tradition on the Coast.
As the first, it was a bit chaotic at times -- Year 2 will undoubtedly run more efficiently.
What struck me was Bradley's interest in getting hands on with some of the kids, tweaking their swings. After all, one thing Bradley knows is how to hit.
3. Early signs
Bradley wasn't alone Saturday. Former MLB All-Star Matt Lawton, a Harrison Central graduate, and Biloxi's own World Series champ, Barry Lyons, also pitched in.
All three delighted in helping the kids. And as Lawton said, you never know who might turn out to be the next Bobby Bradley.
Lawton should know. He said he helped Bradley when he was younger and knew from the age of 12 that Bradley had a chance to be special.
"From the first day I saw him I knew he was going to be a player," said Lawton, prior to throwing batting practice to Harrison Central's players. "He had great hands. We were hitting in the cage one day and I told him, whatever you do, don't let anyone change that swing. He's going to have a great career. He's a great hitter.
"The most important thing is he's a great person. When he asked me to do this, I was overwhelmed and very excited."
4. Big-time power
Baseball is back. Spring training games kicked off Tuesday.
During the Cleveland Indians-Cincinnati Reds game, prospect guru Jonathan Mayo was asked about Bradley, who MLB Pipeline ranks as the Indians' third-best prospect.
"A ton of right-handed power, but he's a first only so he's going to have to hit his way to the Big Leagues," Mayo said.
Bradley won his league's triple crown straight out of high school his rookie season. He followed up his debut by hitting 27 homers with a .269 batting average and .529 slugging percentage in 108 games at Low-A Lake County of the Midwest League.
5. Credit Buddy's bunch
But credit the Pirates for regrouping. PCHS chipped away at Lawrence County's lead, trailing 15-8 after one and 18-17 at halftime. They eventually took the lead in the third, and while the Aydarius Young's mad dash at the end of regulation was a memorable moment, the Pirates' defense really made the difference as the home team held Lawrence County well below its season average in the 51-43 win.
"We won with defense," PCHS senior Maliq Leaks said. "We started off a little slow and then we got back to playing ball, started hitting some shots and the momentum carried over."
6. Free throws ain't free
West Harrison had an ultra-talented team in 2015 but free throws ended up being the Lady Hurricanes' undoing in the 5A quarterfinals. WHHS converted just 4 of 14, and missed all seven attempts in the second half of the 64-62 loss to Pearl.
"That was our nemesis last year in the State Tournament," West Harrison coach Otis Gates said Tuesday, ahead of Friday's 5A quarterfinals matchup against Ridgeland. "It was the difference in our winning and losing in the State Tournament last year. It was a big difference."
The Lady 'Canes have made free throws a focus this season with last year's loss in mind. Friday, West Harrison knocked down 25 of 30 on its win over South Jones.
"It's been a season-long progression that we've seen improvement," Gates said. "It's been a big focus in practice."
How much of an emphasis? Well, Gates doesn't wrap up practices until his girls have made 200 free throws collectively.
Practice makes perfect and the Lady 'Canes are hoping their recent success aids them in their quest for the 5A title.
7. Credit where it's due
A couple weeks back when St. Patrick's standout distance runner Ramsey Wagner committed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, she credited her sister, Hannah, for getting her interested in running.
"I started in the eighth grade when my sister dared me to run the Bay St. Louis Bridge with her, which is four miles there and back," Wagner said after her signing ceremony. "Once I did it, she told me to try out for the track team, but I didn't think I was any good. The next day, the announcements said track team signups were going on, so, I did it."
It became much more than a hobby over the last couple of years and now she's a collegiate athlete -- an accomplishment she thanked her sister for.
8. Under pressure
Rebel fans will notice plenty of MLB logos at George County games -- especially when Mississippi State signee Walker Robbins is on the mound.
Coach Brandon Davis has had plenty of MLB prospects in the past and has tried to let Robbins know that the key is to just have fun.
"I'm just trying to get him to enjoy his senior year of high school," Davis said before the season. "Going through this with (Justin) Steele and JaCoby (Jones), you only get one senior year. Just play the game, enjoy your teammates. All that stuff will come."
Robbins is off to a good start. In his season debut, Robbins struck out 12 in five innings, allowing one hit and an unearned run. He also hit .500 (2-for-4) with three runs scored, a double and four walks.
9. Busy 2016-17
If this spring is any indication, the upcoming recruiting cycle is going to be a doozy.
By my count, 10 Coast standouts already hold offers. Between them, 50 offers:
-- St. Stanislaus QB Myles Brennan: Memphis, Southern Miss, Troy, South Alabama, California, Kentucky, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Wisconsin, Indiana, Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, UT-San Antonio
-- Pascagoula RB Reginald Hunter: Louisville
-- Biloxi WR Tim Jones: Southern Miss, Louisiana-Lafayette, Memphis, Troy
-- St. Martin QB Wayne Overman III: Army
-- St. Stanislaus TE Darius Pittman: Wake Forest, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, South Alabama, UT-San Antonio
-- St. Martin WR Kalem Reddix: Troy, Louisiana-Lafayette, Troy, Jackson State
-- St. Stanislaus TE Chase Rogers: Memphis, Wake Forest, Troy, South Alabama, Tulane, California, Arkansas State, Alabama-Birmingham, Colorado State, Louisiana-Lafayette, UT-San Antonio
-- Harrison Central OL Jacob Shoemaker: Louisiana-Monroe
-- Ocean Springs WR Austin Williams: Louisiana Tech, Nicholls State, Troy, Mississippi State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Harvard, South Alabama, Tulane
-- Harrison Central QB Tavis Williams: Jackson State
If we're missing an offer, feel free to reach out to us at the email address below.
As always, thanks for reading.
Patrick Ochs, a Sun Herald sports reporter, can be reached at pochs@sunherald.com or followed on Twitter at PatrickOchs.
This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 7:32 PM with the headline "9 Thoughts: Ocean Springs' Steven Gallagher embodies what it means to be an all-Coast Player of the Year ."