University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Announces Two Signees In Early Signing Period
11/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 10, 2005
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss Head Baseball Coach Corky Palmer has announced the signing of two standouts from Northwest Rankin High School in Jackson, Miss., Jordan King, a 6-0, 180-pound pitcher/third baseman and Todd McInnis, a 6-1, 160-pound pitcher..
King and McInnis, who play for Coach Jeff McClaskey, helped lead Northwest Rankin to a 36-3 record, the 5A state championship and a No. 6 national ranking.
As a junior, King was 9-2 with a 2.18 ERA in 67 innings pitched. He finished with 84 strikeouts, walked 21 and opponents hit .203 against him. He was an all-district, all-metro and a 5A first-team all-state selection. Last summer he played on the Mississippi Stars, a summer select team in Jackson, and hit .421 with nine doubles, one triple, two home runs and drove in 16 runs. He selected Southern Miss over South Alabama and Samford.
"Jordan is a two-way player who is an outstanding third baseman and pitcher," Palmer said. "He is a competitor and an outstanding athlete and has a chance to play both positions for us. As a pitcher, he throws an 86-91 mph fastball and has a solid breaking pitch."
McInnis was 12-1 with a 1.94 ERA as a junior in 90 innings pitched last season. He struck out 144, only walking 24 and opponent's hit .207 against him. He as an all-district, all-metro, a first-team 5A all-state selection and was named to the Clarion Ledger's "Dandy Dozen". He selected Southern Miss over Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
"Todd is one of the top pitchers in the state and will be an excellent addition to our pitching staff next season," Palmer said. "He should be a definite impact player early in his career. He throws his fastball 87-89 mph, has an outstanding overhand curve and his best pitch is his slider. His breaking ball is as good as I have seen in a while."
The Golden Eagles return 20 letterwinners, including five starting position players, four starting pitchers, and five bullpen pitchers from last year's squad that finished 41-21 overall and tied for second-place in Conference USA, advanced to the Conference USA Tournament semifinals and also to its third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Golden Eagles have produced a 133-56 record over the past three seasons for a 70.4 winning percentage.
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