Bethel baseballers ink 13AA MVP

Though baseball season just finished up at the college level a little over two months ago, Bethel University is still making headlines with its class of signees.
Most recently, the Wildcat baseball team added Dyersburg’s Josh Richards — the 2011 District 13AA Player of the Year — to its latest recruiting class.
Richards served as both an infielder and pitcher for the Trojans during the spring.
He was 4-2 on the hill with 84 strikeouts for the season. Offensively, Richards hit .324.
“John is a fine young man from a really good family,” Bethel skipper Rusty Thompson said.  “He will continue to develop as a hitter and had a good live arm in high school. We look forward to him being a good part of our program for the next four years.”
The team added two other West Tennessee standouts in Adamsville’s Will Erwin and McNairy Central’s Eric Moore.
Moore was an All-District performer his senior season. The right-handed hurler was 6-1 with an earned run average of 3.91.
He was also selected to the Jackson Sun All-West Tennessee team and was McNairy County team MVP.
Erwin was an All-Stater as a junior and an All-Region performer his senior season.
“Will is an exciting player who has a chance to be a very good player in our program,” Thompson said. “He has a passion for the game and comes from a winning program at the high school level.
“We are excited to have him join our family here at Bethel,”
Additionally, the Bethel baseball team also added Culman, Ala., standout Alden Rakestraw.
The Alabama outfielder hit .380 in his career at Cullman. He was defensive MVP his senior year and voted to the All-Area team in both 2010 and 2011.
Thompson was pleased with the signing.
“Alden is a really hard worker who loves to compete,” Thompson said. “He has a good understanding of the game and we are really pleased he has chosen our school to continue his career as a student athlete. We look forward to him being a good part of our program for the next four years.”
Softall signings also
East Hickman softball standout Racheal Carroll signed with the Bethel University earlier this month.
She was a member of the District 12 AA All-District team this past season and was the 2010 district Most Valuable Player.
The middle infielder had 36 stolen bases her senior season and hit .404 on the year.
“Racheal is a sure handed infielder with a lot of speed,” Bethel softball skipper Larry Geraldi said. “She is a hard worker who is self motivated and will be a great leader on the field and in the classroom.”  
In addition to Carroll, the Lady Wildcats also added former Bryan College and Creek Wood product Brooklyn Jenkins to the roster.
Jenkins led Bryan College in hitting as a freshman last year hitting over .400.
The third baseman was an All-Mid-State first-team performer her senior season at Creek Wood.

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