Highly talented North Pike pitchers Brady Badon and Jacob Fleming suit up for the final time as teammates on Saturday.
The two Jaguar pitchers will play in the 39th D.M. Howie High School 6A/5A/4A All-Star Baseball Game at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson. The game is sponsored by the Crossroads Diamond Club. The game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
McComb’s Adrian Brown also will play in the game. Tylertown’s Chris McCallum is one of the South coaches.
In the fall, Badon takes his talents to Southwest Mississippi Community College, while Fleming will attend Copiah-Lincoln Community College on a football scholarship.
Badon is a two-year starter for the Jaguars. He played shortstop and in the outfield. He said he is excited about the opportunity to represent North Pike.
“This is huge for me considering my brother, Justin Badon, was the last one from North Pike in 2010 to be selected,” said Badon. “There are a lot of good players out there, and just to be selected and to be in with this group is a huge honor.”
North Pike coach George Lott said said he is excited for his two standouts.
“Brady had a great senior season for us,” Lott said. “He pitched in some of our biggest games, such as Purvis and Columbia. He drew the start in our big district games as well. He was pretty much our Friday go-to guy.”
As a senior, Badon was voted All-District, team Most Valuable Player and won the team’s Scholastic Award.
Badon said his most memorable game was against Columbia, when he pitched a shutout.
“They really can hit over there,” Badon said. “It felt real good to hold them offensively.”
Badon said he feels he has made the most improvement offensively this season.
“My strength is definitely my pitching because it has gotten me into college,” he said. “I feel as though if there was an area where I needed to improve it would be my hitting. For most players to go to college on a scholarship, they need to be hitting the ball very well.”
Badon’s favorite pitch is his cutter.
“I really like using my cutter ball in certain situations because I feel I have the best control of it than any of my other pitches,” he said.
Badon had nine starts in throwing 52 innings. He had an 8-1 record with an ERA of 1.08 with 67 strike-outs.
Offensively, Badon .315 with 19 RBI. He scored 36 runs and had seven doubles and two triples.
“Brady wasn’t just good for us on the mound, he did a good job for us both at the plate and in the field,” Lott said.
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Fleming is equally excited to be playing in Jackson.
“This is a great honor,” Fleming said. “It is rare that the same school can have two selected in the same year. I am looking forward to representing North Pike.”
Fleming is a three-year starter for the Jags. He was pleased with his senior season’s performance.
“I think I had a pretty good senior season,” he said. “I thought my hitting and pitching was better this year compared to last. I had a much better batting average. I was glad to find out that I didn’t just make the all-star game for my pitching; it was also for my ability to play first base.”
“Jacob threw his best and had his best at the plate this season,” Lott said. “Like Brady, he has pitched in some big games for us over his three seasons.”
Fleming said being in control of the game is the main reason he prefers pitching.
Fleming had an 1.45 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 41 innings. He was 5-1.
Offensively, Fleming hit .350 with 35 RBI. He also had eight doubles, four home runs and five triples.
Fleming sports a two-seam fast ball that ranges in the middle- to upper-80s.
“My two-seam works well for me,”said Fleming. “I can jam the batter by hitting the inside corner of the plate.”
Lott said having Fleming’s experience was crucial.
“We didn’t have a lot of people returning this season. To have Jacob for three years was huge for us,”
Fleming was selected All -District for three years, team Defensive Player of the Year as a junior year and Co-MVP this year. As a junior, he was voted to the All-Area Dream Team. Fleming participated in the State Games of Mississippi in Meridian the past two years.
Fleming said his most memorable game was against Tylertown.
“I was able to hit three home runs in that game. It was a good night for me at the plate,” he said.
Lott said the selections are big for the school.
“This is a huge thing for us here at North Pike,” Lott said. “When you consider all the great players from 6A down to 4A, this is a real honor for our team. Both guys have shown great leadership and will do well on Saturday.”
Admission is $10.
“I’m going to be a bit nervous,” Fleming said. “I am just going to go out and do my best. It feels good to know that Brady and I are playing among the best players in the state.”
