University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Announces First Three Signees Of Early Signing Period
11/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Baseball Announces First Three Signees Of Early Signing Period
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ?
Southern Miss Baseball Coach Corky Palmer has announced the signing of Pearl River Community College standouts Bailey Hartel (SS) and Keith Winstead (C) and local standout left-hand pitcher from nearby Oak Grove High School, Wayne Smith, to national letters of intent and grant in aids for the 2005-06 academic year. This marks the first three signees of the early period for the Golden Eagles.Last year, Hartel hit .350 with 14 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 41 walks and drove in 36 runs as a freshman at Pearl River. He was an all-state and all-region selection and helped lead Pearl River to a 42-10 record, the state championship and an appearance in the regional championship and a No. 2 final ranking in the NJCAA Division II Poll. He was recruited by Tulane and Louisiana-Lafayette.
Hartel was a three-year starter at Oak Grove and was a two-year all-district and all-state selection. As a senior, he hit .360 with 15 doubles, four home runs and drove in 30 runs, helping lead the Warriors to a 30-6 record and the Class 5A state championship. He graduated with honors and was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
"Bailey is a good defensive player who swings the bat well," Palmer said. "He hits for average and for power and is like having another coach on the field. He will come in and give us immediate help with his bat and his glove."
As a freshman at Pearl River, Winstead hit .307 with nine doubles, five home runs and drove in 26 runs. He helped lead Pearl River to a 42-10 record, the state championship and an appearance in the regional championship as well as the No. 2 final ranking in the NJCAA Division II Poll.
He also played at Oak Grove and helped lead the Warriors to a 30-6 record and the Class 5A state championship as a senior. He was a two-year starter, hitting .330 with six doubles, six home runs and driving in 28 runs. He was voted the team's defensive player of the year for two years. Winstead graduated with honors and was awarded a leaders scholarship to Southern Miss. He was recruited by Tulane and Louisiana-Lafayette.
"Keith is good defensive catcher with a good arm," Palmer said. "He has really worked hard and shown tremendous improvement in his hitting since he left high school. We are looking for him to come here and give us immediate help as a catcher and with his bat."
Smith, the Mississippi State Class 5A Player of the Year, finished with a 12-2 record and a 2.30 ERA as a junior at nearby Oak Grove High School in 2004. He struck out 98 batters last season in helping lead the Warriors to a 32-8 record. He is a two-time all-state and three-time all-district selection. He has helped lead Oak Grove to two-straight state championships.
In last year's championship game, he pitched the first game and threw a no-hitter as he struck out six batters. He pitched in game three, giving up one hit and striking out 10 batters to capture the championship. He also is the starting punter on the football team.
"Wayne is an outstanding left-handed pitcher who throws three pitches for strikes, a fastball, a curve and a changeup," Palmer said. "He has good movement on his fastball and does a tremendous job of changing speeds. He will gives us immediate help in his first season."
Southern Miss returns four position starters, two starting pitchers and 14 letterwinners from last year's squad that finished 45-19, tied for second place in league play, advanced to the conference tournament championship game and advanced to the NCAA regional tournament for the second-straight year. The Golden Eagles open their season against future Conference USA member Marshall, on Friday, Feb. 18, at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field at 3 p.m.
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