Hitters make up Ferriss finalists
Published 11:39 am Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Good hitting beat out good pitching in the race for the 2011 Cellular South Ferriss Trophy.
Three outstanding hitters — Southern Miss’ Tyler Koelling and B.A. Vollmuth, and Mississippi State’s Jarrod Parks — were announced as finalists Monday for the award given to Mississippi’s top college baseball player.
The trio has a combined 66 extra base hits and 125 RBIs this season. Koelling and Parks have both posted double-digit hitting streaks, while Vollmuth is tied for second in Conference USA with 12 home runs.
Parks, a Madison native, leads the Southeastern Conference with a .396 batting average, and in on-base percentage at .538. He has only made four errors at third base this season. He also has a 21-game hitting streak to his credit.
Koelling, a Luling, La. native, leads Southern Miss with a .374 average and is the only member of the team to play in all 50 games this season.
He has only struck out eight times in 219 at-bats.
Vollmuth, a preseason All-American and Biloxi native, leads Southern Miss in home runs and RBIs. His 40 career homers rank seventh on USM’s all-time list.
The finalists were selected by a panel of 25 voters that includes college coaches, major league scouts and one member of the media. Thirteen other players received votes.
The winner will be announced on May 23 at noon at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson.
Tickets to the luncheon are $35, and are available by calling the Hall of Fame at 1-800-280-3263.