MGCCC baseball ready for life on the road in 2010

MGCCC head baseball coach Gary Rath spent 15 seasons in professional baseball all over the world.

PERKINSTON---Life on the road is no big deal to first-year Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College baseball coach Gary Rath.

After all, the Long Beach native endured lots of long bus trips as a standout college pitcher at Mississippi State and racked up millions of frequent-flier miles in a 15 year professional career highlighted by stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins. Seven of those seasons were spent pitching in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

This season Gulf Coast will be on the road for 14 of their first 17 games. The upside is the Bulldogs finish the season with five straight home dates.

"I've told the guys that baseball's the same wherever you play," said Rath, who spent last season as an assistant coach at Gulf Coast under Cooper Farris, who retired after 20 seasons as the Bulldog skipper in May of 2009. "The field's the same wherever you go."

Rath also thinks the team's philosophy should work well at any baseball diamond.

"The guys understand the game plan that we implemented during the fall," Rath added. "We want them to be offensive minded at the plate and aggressive on the pitcher's mound."

In 2009 Gulf Coast went 32-17 last season and won the MACJC South Division title. Fifteen of those players are back as sophomores in 2010 along with a new batch of incoming freshmen…most of whom are South Mississippians.

MGCCC freshman Ben Slaton works on bunting during a recent practice.

Returning sophomores this spring include 2009 MACJC All-State & All-Region 23 player Jeremy Hill (led the NJCAA with 72 RBI'S in the regular season while hitting .448 with 12 home runs), infielder/pitcher Kenneth Atwood (5-0, 4.91ERA-.345 batting avg.), outfielder Will White (.331 batting avg.), infielder Jeremy Simmons (.305 batting avg.), outfielder Jan Butler (.302 batting avg.), and pitchers Bryan Babin (3-0, 5.25 ERA) and Michael Baxter (3-3, 3.0 ERA).

"The team has really gelled together," Rath said. "They're starting to figure out their roles, and the sophomores have a lot of experience from last season and I think that's going to play a huge factor this spring."

Gulf Coast begins the 2010 campaign Feb. 12-13 at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Classic in Niceville, FL. hosted by Okaloosa-Walton C.C. The team's home opener is Feb. 17 against Miss. Delta.