Patton receives scholarship from Mineral Area College

South Pemiscot's Anthony Patton, front, left, signed to play baseball at Mineral Area College in Park Hill on Wednesday, Jan 19. The senior is joined by his brother Jeremy, back- MAC head coach Jim Gerwitz and SPHS baseball coach Aaron New. [Click to enlarge]

STEELE, Mo. -- Watching Anthony Patton frustrate high school hitters with a curveball, range to his right to scoop up a grounder or lace a double to the gap, it doesn't take long to determine the South Pemiscot High School senior is a talented baseball player.

Talented yes, but there is more to Patton than that. He has a passion for the game, a competitive spirit and a relentless work ethic.

All those qualities rolled into one made Patton the envy of Mineral Area College (MAC) head baseball coach Jim Gerwitz. And the second-year head coach got what he wanted Wed., January 19 when the senior inked a letter-of-intent to play for the Cardinals next season.

"After watching him play Legion ball last summer, our assistant coach (Jeremy Partney) told me 'we have to have this guy'," said Gerwitz, who is in his second year at the helm of MAC. "He's a good kid and a team player. We're lucky to get him."

"To build a team you have to start up the middle with the catcher, middle infielders and centerfielder," he continued. "Anthony fills one of those holes for us."

Though Patton, who also starts at guard for the Bulldogs' basketball team, has been stellar on the mound for South Pemiscot and the Unico Bank-Dunkilin County AAA Legion team, it's shortstop he prefers and that's the position the two-time Bootheel All-Conference player will occupy at MAC.

"I've played there since Little League," Patton said. "The shortstop controls the infield and that's where I feel my future is."

"There are a lot of pitchers in this area who are better than me," Patton added, "but I believe I can match up with just about any shortstop around."

Patton may be a bit modest about his pitching prowess considering the statistics he posted during South Pemiscot's 2004 fall season. He completed the campaign with a 4-1 record and a 1.02 earned run average for a 17-1 Bulldog squad which captured the Fall Tournament title.

In 26 innings of work he mowed down the opposition, recording 38 strikeouts. Add to that a .378 batting average and 15 runs batted in, plus six hits which went for extra bases.

"The worst thing I can say about Anthony Patton is that he's a senior and I only get to coach him one year," said first-year South Pemiscot head coach Aaron New. "Coaches need players like A.P. He's a leader on and off the field. A lot of kids around may have the talent he has, but what separates him from most baseball players is his attitude and work ethic."

"He's a steady player," agreed his former high school coach and current South Pemiscot athletic director Bobby McCulloch. "As a coach, you know what to expect from him everyday. He's been a dominant high school player because he doesn't mind to work hard. (Anthony) has several of the tools you need to play at the next level. Hopefully, he can continue to improve and move on from there."

Patton credits New and especially McCulloch with his development as a baseball player.

"I feel very, very privileged to have played under both of them," he said. "Coach McCulloch instilled in me a strong work ethic. He always said 'coming to practice doesn't cut it'. You have to put in extra work if you want to be better than the next guy."

The senior has heeded the advice of his former coach, spending sometimes two hours after practice getting in extra swings or fielding groundballs. And Patton also benefits from a younger brother who's out to make a name for himself as well.

Anthony and brother Jeremy, a sophomore, have formed a strong bond through sports and they've been a familiar sight on Steele's baseball fields and basketball courts for a number of years.

"Sports has been mine and Jeremy's lives," said the eldest Patton. "We've always turned to sports. Besides our parents, there's probably nothing more important on this Earth to us.

"We push one another to be better and if I don't watch out he's going to pass me," he continued. "He has come a long way in a short time, both on the field and in the classroom. (Jeremy) is going to make it."

With his scholarship in hand and an education in the offing, Anthony has, in effect, made it too, but he has higher aspirations.

"I'm no different than anybody else who has played baseball," he said. "I want to play in the Major Leagues someday. It's been my dream since I was five-years-old."

Before he's fielding grounders in Busch Stadium though, Patton says he has some unfinished business in high school.

He spent most of last spring on the disabled list after being sidelined with a broken foot, but hopes to bounce back and have a senior season which rivals that of his sophomore year.

In 2003, he was named Bootheel All-Conference and All-District in the Spring and had a noteworthy summer campaign which included two tournament Most Valuable Player Awards and he also earned a coveted spot on the Firecracker Classic All-Tournament team.

"I'd like us to do well," he said of the Bulldogs prospects in the upcoming season. "We have a solid pitching staff and we're pretty deep, too. I think we can hit for a good average and be a good defensive team, plus challenge for a state title."

Patton considered offers from Dyersburg Community State College and Three Rivers Community College before choosing MAC, which offered him the best package of the three schools.

"They have top-notch facilities," said Patton who took his official visit to the Park Hill campus in mid-December, "and the coaching staff treated me well. I was impressed."

"He'll help us out," concluded Gerwitz. "It's a good fit for him and the program."