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Drew Sims signed with Talladega College on Wednesday. Photo by Brian Schoenhals
Catcher Kameron Mizzell and center fielder Drew Sims signed with the Tornadoes in the library at Comer on Wednesday, as friends and family were on hand to help the duo celebrate the accomplishment.
Both athletes agreed the school being close to home was one of the reasons they decided to continue their education at TC.
“I had a couple of schools recruiting me,” Mizzell said Wednesday. “I met Coach (Will) Ramos and everything seemed just right. He’s a good guy and he seems like he knows what he’s doing.
“It’s close to home and I wanted my mom and dad to come and watch me. Especially my dad because he enjoys coming and watching me play. My best friend Drew is going to sign with them too, so it’s a dream come true.”
Sims agreed.
“It’s close to home,” he said. “I like the coach. He’s a good guy.”
B.B. Comer head baseball coach Curtis Gray said he couldn’t be prouder of Mizzell and Sims. They were two of the first players Gray coached at the school. They both saw playing time on the varsity squad as eighth graders.
“I’m very proud of them,” Gray said. “They’ve worked extremely hard for me for basically five years. I’ve been here five years, so they’ve been on every team that I’ve coached here. It’s a good feeling to see them live the dream of signing on to play (college) baseball.”
The duo led the Tigers in hitting and was strong on defense throughout their senior season. Mizzell had four home runs, 46 RBIs and posted a .608 batting average in 2010. “I started five years, ever since eighth grade,” Mizzell said. “We progressed every year, but we always came up a little short (of making the playoffs). Come back to my junior year, everything just fell into place. We got off to a great start.
“We started off 11-3 and made the playoffs. We got ended quick in the first round, but we figured we’d come back our senior year and try the same thing. Some games just didn’t fall our way. We didn’t make the playoffs, but it was great memories.”
Sims added two home runs, 22 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and batted .389 on the season.
“I started varsity in eighth grade,” Sims said. “I played a few games that year. Me and Kameron started that year. I wasn’t the best. Then my ninth grade year I started full time. I’ve been full time every since. Each year I’d get a little bit better and a little bit better. This year I decided I was going to play the best I can. I ended up hitting two home runs, had a pretty high batting average. I worked real hard on trying to get a scholarship.”
The hard work of both players is what made TC head coach Will Ramos think the two Comer athletes would make good additions to the Talladega College team.
“Most of the reason I signed these two is their attitude,” Ramos said. “They have the attitude that we’re looking for. I think Kameron and Drew have the qualities that I look for.”
Both Mizzell and Sims plan to major in physical education and eventually pursue a career in coaching baseball.
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