Clarinda A's Baseball

(Clarinda) -- The Clarinda A's leadoff hitter and shortstop is coming off a tremendous freshman season at East Central Community College in Decatur, Mississippi.

Jacob Edwards, a native of Decatur, is in his first season with the A's after being referred to the MINK League team by former A's player and East Central assistant Jake Rowell.

Edwards proved to be one of the top hitters this spring for an East Central team that won 33 games, putting up a .316 batting average, a .376 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage.

"I just knew a lot of the guys there," Edwards said. "I played with some of them just about my whole life and knew the coach really well. There's a lot of support there, and I put in some hard work and trusted in my skills."

Edwards says he's gone through some early struggles with the A's, trying to make the transition from the aluminum to wood bats.

"I feel like I could do a lot better," he said. "I'm trying to get used to the wood bat, because I've never really (hit with those) before. But overall it's been pretty good."

"I came up here to better myself and see if I could get my skills better. Hopefully, I can go back down to Mississippi and do even better than I did this year."

Edwards has been here for just about a week, but he's enjoyed his time so far.

"(Clarinda) is pretty cool," he said. "The town is really into baseball here. Just about everybody is really into it, and that's different from where I'm from. Everywhere you go you see little kids wearing A's hats and people asking if I play for the A's. It's really cool up here."

Kevin and Patty Neal are hosting Edwards for the summer.

Click here to listen to the full interview with Edwards.

Upon Further Review is heard daily on KMA Radio from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Barrett's KMAland Catch Up is a daily segment within the show at approximately 11:50. The Meet the A's segment will be every Tuesday and Thursday on UFR.

Article mirrored for historical purposes from KMALand.com, read here.

Photo courtesy of Joe Moore / J&C Photography, Clarinda.