MCC's Morgan ready to face home state team
By By Tony Krausz/assistant sports editor
May 15, 2004
Meridian Community College's Josh Morgan, in baseball terms, has a lot of "pop."
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound left fielder has a .646 slugging percentage and has hit 14 home runs this year.
Morgan, a native of Alabama, showed how damaging he can be at the plate in last year's super regional against Faulkner State (Ala.) Community College in Bay Minette, Ala. MCC and Faulkner State are meeting for the second straight year in the series that leads to a berth into the Junior College World Series.
The slugger from Thomasville, Ala., went 8-for-12 with six RBIs and two homers in the 2003 super regional, helping the Eagles win the three-game series 2-1 over the Sun Chiefs.
Faulkner State head baseball coach Wayne Larker has not forgotten Morgan's domination of his pitching staff in last year's super regional.
The Sun Chiefs came close to having Morgan in their stable of hitters after high school.
Just one day after the outfielder signed with MCC, as a catcher, Larker called Morgan with an offer to join his club.
Though Morgan, who has signed to play for the University of South Alabama next season, left his home state to play for the Eagles, he said there were no hard feelings between him and Larker.
The Alabama slugger may be socially friendly with the Faulkner State skipper, but he has been anything but nice to the Sun Chiefs' pitching staff.
Along with getting ready to take on a team from his home state, Morgan will also be trying to put aside a region tournament in which he batted 82 points below his season average.
Morgan went 5-for-18 (.278) with no hits for extra bases in the Eagles' five games in the Region XXIII tournament.
MCC players elevating their games against teams from their home states has been a staple for the Eagles this season.
In the Region XXIII tournament, Louisiana natives Michael Murray and Ricky Newman seemed to have extra "pop" when MCC took on Delgado, a team from New Orleans.
Murray went 3-for-16 with a double, triple and two RBIs in three games against Delgado in the regional tournament, and Newman went 3-for-10 with two doubles, two RBIs and scored twice against the team from his home state. Chad Catalano, a third Louisiana native playing for MCC, did not pitch against Delgado in the region tournament.
Morgan feels the same way when he suits up for a game against teams from Alabama.
