May 14, 2009

NORTHEAST’S CHAPMAN COMMITS TO MEMPHIS

BOONEVILLE, Miss. – Northeast Mississippi Community College head baseball coach Kent Farris has announced that Tiger catcher Phillip Chapman has committed to the University of Memphis.

Chapman, a native of Clinton, helped lead the Northeast Tiger baseball team to back-to-back Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges’ (MACJC) state tournaments in 2008 and 2009 and a Region XXIII berth in 2008.

During his two years at Northeast, Chapman guided the Tigers to a 65-32 record, which included back-to-back MACJC North Division runner-up finishes during the Tigers 32-18 season in 2008 and 33-14 year in 2009.

Before the 2009 season, Chapman was selected as a National Junior College Athletic Association pre-season All-American.

Chapman led the Tigers in 2009 in three different offensive categories. The Tiger catcher powered the Tigers in slugging percentage (.640), home runs (9) and runs batted in (39).

Chapman will join a Memphis baseball program that is currently 21-29 during the 2009 season after dropping a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to Southeastern Conference member Mississippi State University on Tuesday, May 12. Memphis wraps up its regular season with a best-of-three series against Conference USA opponent East Carolina University May 14-16.

During the 2009 season, the Northeast baseball team turned in a 33-14 record and a 17-7 mark in the MACJC North Division finishing second in the division after beating Itawamba Community College on the final day of the regular season. Northeast advanced to the MACJC state tournament for the second straight year but dropped a best-of-three series to Jones County Junior College in the first round.

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