TCPS standout Drew Carter signs to play baseball
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com
BELDEN, MS – Itawamba Community College head baseball coach Rick Collier picked up his first singee of the 2013 signing class when Tupelo Christian Prep right-handed pitcher Drew Carter signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball for the Indians on Tuesday.
"We are excited about getting Drew," said Collier. "He is one of the top arms in the area that can fill up the strike zone. He is an exceptional young man that works hard and is great in the classroom and that's the type of player you want in your program to help it be successful."
As a junior, Carter has a 2.91 ERA in 53 innings pitched with 72 strike outs for a 5-4 record with 7 starts in 13 appearances with a .894 fielding percentage.
"I'm so excited to sign with ICC," said Carter. "Going to ICC and playing with a great program and with great coaches that will make me work hard to strengthen all my abilities."
He recorded a season-high 11 strike outs against Itawamba AHS and West Union High School and had 10 strike outs against St. Joseph High School.
"We are excited for Drew and have known for a while that he would have the potential to play on the next level," said TCPS head baseball coach Will Lowery. "There is nothing more you can ask out of a player than what you are going to get from Drew and going to a program like ICC this won't be the last signing because I feel like Coach Collier and his program at ICC is the ideal place to help prepare him for his future in baseball and as a student-athlete."
Carter batted .379 with 87 at-bats with 33 runs scored. He totaled 8 doubles, 3 home runs and 36 RBI while stealing 5 bases and finishing the season with a .481 on-base percentage and .575 slugging percentage.
He also sees times on the corners for the Eagles playing first and third base when he isn't pitching.
"We only get these guys for two years so when you have a player that can play both ways is big," Collier commented. "We'll be losing three of our guys from our starting rotation after this season and we are expecting him to come in to fill one of those voids and also have a shot at playing third base when he's not on the mound."
Carter won the 2011 Prep Division MVP at the Ole Miss Pitching Camp and played for the Class 4A state championship as a member of the Amory Panthers baseball team.
Drew is the son of former ICC basketball standout Scott Carter, who played for Coach Wayne Newsome during the 1986-87 season before transferring to play at Millsaps College.