Zachary Bird: Hope For JPS Baseball
Zachary Bird has all the makings of a great baseball player, standing at 6'3 with an athletically long frame, a 90 mph fastball and placed on one of the top select teams in the country. What sets him apart is where he plays high school baseball, at Murrah here in Jackson.
Baseball programs in JPS are far from known for their baseball prowess. In fact they don't come close to competing on a statewide level. But Bird could be the face of a hopeful future for baseball in Jackson.
The rising senior recently committed to play his college ball at Southern Miss and if he plays their, he will be the first from a JPS school to take the field for the Golden Eagles since Provine's Toddric Johnson in 2006.
Bird also turned down plenty of opportunities to transfer to a high school with better facilities and more tradition as a baseball powerhouse. He said no, according to him it would be selfish to have made such a move.
He hopes his example will give hope to teammates and others coming up through the ranks in the capital city.
On the field Bird is a special talent. Very few pitchers have his athleticism. He continues to progress with his mechanics under the coaching of former Atlanta Braves pitching coordinator Kent Willis. He also see's some of the top competition in the country as a member of select club Team Marucci.
Bird was being recruited by the likes of LSU and Ole Miss, but when USM offered he knew that was where he wanted to play. His father played football at Southern Miss and his older brother went to school there. There's still a chance he could get picked in the 2012 MLB Draft and pursue the pro's after high school.
No matter what he's carrying JPS pride wherever he goes.
