Wallace earns All-America nod

Published 11:25 am Thursday, June 14, 2012

In two years, Beau Wallace has gone from being merely a pretty good baseball player to one of the best in the country.

Wallace, a freshman infielder for Hinds Community College and a former Warren Central star, was named a third-team All-American this week by the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Wallace’s teammate, sophomore first baseman and pitcher Tyler Akins, was a first-team All-American. Both players had previously been selected to the All-State and All-Region XXIII teams while leading Hinds to the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges state championship.

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“It’s a huge honor,” Wallace said. “I’ve never had anything like it. I didn’t expect it at all. Not many people get an honor like this.”

Wallace’s rise has been meteoric. He hit .330 and drove in 18 runs in 2010 as a junior at Warren Central, then hit .513 and earned the Vicksburg Post’s Player of the Year Award as a senior.

In his first season at Hinds, Wallace hit .387 with seven doubles, three home runs and 37 RBIs. His average was second-best on the team, behind Akins’ .431, and he was tied for third in RBIs and stolen bases, with 10.

Wallace also scored 41 runs, drew 17 walks and was hit by a pitch 16 times. His .476 on-base percentage was second on the team.

“The big thing with Beau is, the talent has always been there. What Beau was able to do this year, through maturity, is focus that talent,” Hinds coach Sam Temple said. “When you have a guy with that talent, and he can focus in on one thing, he gets even better. What Hinds has done is provide him with the ability to focus in a structured manner.”

Where Wallace’s focus will shift next is crystal clear. He has one more year at Hinds, but has no intention of heading to a four-year college after that.

“I’m going to try to get drafted. I’m not going to go four-year,” Wallace said.

Those plans aren’t just big talk. Wallace’s success and versatility have put him on many scouts’ radar, Temple said.

“I have had a number of professional scouts ask me about him,” Temple said. “You don’t become the only freshman from the state of Mississippi to be All-America and All-Region if you’re not standing out.”

Wallace’s versatility could be a huge asset when the major league draft rolls around next June. He played primarily at third base this season because Hinds had a two-year starter, Belhaven signee Daniel Gilbert, at shortstop. Wallace did play a few games at short and second base, however.

With Gilbert gone, Temple said he intends to use Wallace at shortstop next season. After that, the coach said, he has no idea what position Wallace will play.

“People may be shocked what Beau ends up getting drafted as. He has the ability to play shortstop, third base, and could probably be one of our better outfielders if I needed him to be,” Temple said. “We put him at catcher some in the fall. For somebody who never caught before, it was amazing how well he did.”

This summer, Wallace is working on his hitting in the Midwest Collegiate League, a wood bat league in Illinois. He’s hitting just .200 in 10 games so far for the DeKalb County Liners, but has drawn 10 walks and scored a run in each of his last six games.

“I need to work on hitting,” Wallace said. “Sometimes I’m uphill, sometimes I’m downhill, sometimes I’m on a steady plane.”

Hinds’ other All-American, Akins, has signed at Belhaven. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder stepped away from baseball for two years after graduating from Madison Central, but returned with a vengeance at Hinds.

He led the team in hitting, doubles (17), walks (33) and RBIs (50) this season while also belting four home runs and scoring 38 runs.

He also served as the Eagles’ closer, notching a 5-3 record with six saves and a 2.12 ERA. The right-hander threw 462⁄3 innings, struck out 31 batters and walked only 12.

“He was my three-hole hitter, starter and closer wrapped up into one,” Temple said. “Those players don’t come around very often.”