EMCC baseball pair drafted
SCOOBA – East Mississippi Community College's Vijay Miller and
Marcus Ragan were selected during Wednesday's portion of the Major League Baseball Draft in the 14th and 15th rounds, respectively, by the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox.
A two-sport standout from Itawamba AHS and a freshman quarterback on last year's MACJC state championship team for the EMCC Lions, Miller was the 408th overall draft pick as a right-handed pitcher. Ragan, a center fielder out of Warren Central High School, followed a round later as the 461st selection overall.
Under the guidance of head coach Chris Rose, the EMCC Lions have now had four MLB Draft picks in the last four years. Two years ago, former Southeast Lauderdale High School multi-sport star LeDarious Clark was selected in the 12th round (348th overall) by the Texas Rangers. The thirdyear pro outfielder is currently playing for the Down East Wood Ducks, a Class A-Advanced team headquartered in Kinston, N.C., and affiliated with the Carolina League. Previously, middle infielder Chase Nyman, of Pascagoula, was picked in the 32nd round (951st overall) of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners.
“You want good things to happen to good people who work hard, and Vijay and Marcus are that and do that,” EMCC's Rose noted. “They deserve all of the credit, and I couldn't be more excited for them.”
After passing for 599 yards and six touchdowns along with rushing for a team-high nine touchdowns as EMCC's backup quarterback last fall, Miller was 5-0 with a 3.97 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched this past spring for the Lions. He had 22 strikeouts over a 13-inning span during his first three EMCC starts on the mound.
Having signed with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Ragan was selected MACJC All-MACJC first team after putting together a career year by hitting a club-high .395 with 27 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases as EMCC's leadoff batter. Along with a team-high 13 doubles and hitting six home runs, his league-leading eight triples ranked tied for fourth nationally. As a two-year starter in the outfield for the Lions, Ragan hit .370 with 21 career doubles, 11 triples and six homers in addition to swiping 38 bases and fielding at a .983 clip in 84 career games.