The Boston Red Sox sent former South Effingham star Josh Reddick to their minor league camp on St. Patrick’s Day, but the 22-year-old outfielder made a huge impression on the Sox brass during his stay with the big league club.
Reddick hit .500 (11-for-22) in Grapefruit League action and finished with a slugging percentage of .682.
Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan told the Boston Herald that Reddick is “a lot like Pedroia from the left side — he just has a knack for squaring the ball up. Even when he’s fooled, he has a way of barreling the bat and finding the holes. Guys like him, that drive the ball to all fields, (teammates) are always like, ‘Man, it seems like everything he hits seems to find the hole.’”
Minor league spring training games began last week, and the Red Sox also had several of their veterans back in camp returning from injuries.
“It felt great to come out here and actually hit the big league pitching,” Reddick told the Boston Globe. “You’re that little kid growing up, saying, ‘Wow, this is amazing. How do they do it?’ And then you come out here and you succeed a little bit at this level, and you’re like, ‘Wow, maybe I do have a chance to compete with these guys.’”
Colleges
Baseball
• Colby May, Georgia — The freshman third baseman is hitting .316 with six homers and 25 RBIs for the Bulldogs (19-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference).
• Josh Wilson, Armstrong Atlantic — Wilson had five hits and scored four runs as the Pirates (23-8, 4-5 Peach Belt) swept Georgia Southwestern on Saturday, 16-5 and 7-2. Wilson is hitting .359 with four homers and 18 RBIs. He also has 12 doubles.
• John Roberts, Armstrong Atlantic — The freshman catcher is on a tear and has raised his average to .306. He has one homer and 19 RBIs.
• Sam Dotson, Armstrong Atlantic — Dotson pitched a scoreless inning this week, and he has not allowed a run in four innings over four appearances. He has three strikeouts.
• Jesse Osborne, Armstrong Atlantic — Osborne has lowered his ERA to 6.14 and has seven strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings over seven appearances.
• Brandon McCreery, Armstrong Atlantic — The Pirates closer has three saves in 10 appearances. He is 0-3 with a 4.91 ERA but has 15 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings.
• Spencer Jackson, South Carolina-Beaufort — The Sand Sharks sophomore left fielder was 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in an 8-1 win over Embry-Riddle on Saturday. He was 1-for-3 with one RBI in a 6-3 loss in Game 1 Saturday. Jackson is hitting .340 with one homer and 16 RBIs and has scored a team-high 30 runs.
• Keifer Youmans, Andrew — Youmans, a sophomore outfielder, is hitting .247 with one home run and 18 RBIs. He is tied for the team lead in doubles with seven.
• Dylan Scott, Middle Georgia — Scott, a freshman outfielder, and the Warriors won two of three games from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College over the weekend, improving to 22-7 overall and 10-2 in the conference.
Softball
• Megen Smith, Georgia Southern — Smith, a sophomore, is hitting .347 with one homer and five RBIs. She is 1-5 with a 5.14 ERA in the circle.
• Marie Fogle, Georgia Southern — The freshman outfielder went 2-for-4 Sunday as the Lady Eagles salvaged one game of their three-game set with Western Carolina in a 7-3 victory. Fogle is hitting .255 with one homer and two RBIs.
• Brandi Monroe, Andrew — Monroe is the starting sophomore shortstop for the Lady Tigers.
