MGCCC baseball sends 12 to next level

MGCCC’S Tyler Bray is one of 12 signees from the 2012 team.

PERKINSTON---A 31-19 record and a strong post-season run brought notice to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College baseball program in 2012 as 12 Bulldogs are headed to four-year colleges and universities.

"These players worked extremely hard, believed in the system, and positioned themselves to transition to the next level," said Gulf Coast head baseball coach Gary Rath. "This group has been to the MACJC State Tournament in back-to-back seasons, played for the 2012 MACJC State Championship, and reached the Region 23 tournament."

In 2012 Daniel Miles and Ben Slaton were named to the MACJC'S All-First Team squad and to the Region 23 All-First Team lineup. Miles, a sophomore from Pascagoula, is batting .396 with six homeruns and 29 RBI. In the post-season, Miles hit .462 with a homer and 7 RBI.

Slaton, a sophomore from Ocean Springs, smacked 14 homeruns in 2012, which ranked him fourth among the NJCAA'S home run leaders. He also batted .356 with 51 RBI in 2012.

Michael Paul, Tyler Bray, and Daniel Wineski were all named to the All-MACJC Second Team squad. Paul, a sophomore from Long Beach, hit .382 with six HR and 30 RBI. Bray, a sophomore from Vancleave, went 8-4 with a 2.00 ERA. Wineski, a sophomore from Ocean Springs, was 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA and eight saves.

"These 12 athletes, which includes 7 Division I commitments, comprise one of the largest classes of signees to ever come out of the Gulf Coast baseball program," Rath added. "It's a reflection of their work, both on the field and in the class, to further their careers at the four year level."

The 12 players are:

Player	Position	4-Year Level	College
Michael Paul	INF	D-1	Mississippi State
Daniel Wineski	RHP	D-1	Southern Miss
Tyler Bray	RHP	D-1	La. Monroe
Gavin Culpepper	RHP	D-1	SE La.
Ben Slaton	OF/DH	D-1	Old Dominion
Daniel Miles	3B	D-1	Tennessee Tech
Dieter Hamilton	C	D-2	St. Leo Univ.
Chad Reeves	RHP	NAIA	Auburn-Mont.
Justin Lee	RHP	NAIA	Belhaven
Nick Boggs	INF	D-2	Stillman
Joey Harris	OF	D-1	Southern Miss
J.C. Cassidy	INF	NAIA	William Carey