PJC Women’s Basketball Player Signs to Continue Playing

Paris Junior College women’s basketball player Shanice Hill of Paris has signed to continue her educational and playing career at Arlington Baptist College in Arlington, Texas.

Paris Junior College women’s basketball player Shanice Hill, a graduate of Paris High School, signs to continue her education and playing career at Arlington Baptist College in Arlington, Texas, as PJC women’s basketball coach Sean LeBeauf and Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Shakira Nettles look on.

“I really enjoyed playing for Coach Sean and if I could do another year at PJC I would,” said Hill. “He’s an amazing coach. I think I’m going to like ABU but I’m really going to miss Coach Sean.”

ABU is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association. Hill will be joining a team fresh from their NCCAA Southwest Regional Championship and national sixth place finish to close their season at 21-8. The team also was Association of Christian College Athletics National Runner-up.

“She’s someone that just wanted to be a part of it because she enjoyed playing basketball,” said PJC women’s basketball coach and athletic director Sean LeBeauf. “She went from a walk-on to having an opportunity to continue her career at a four-year school. That epitomizes toughness and hard work.”

LeBeauf said it was a difficult season for the Lady Dragons, with only two players returning from 2011-2012 team that set a record for number of wins.

“We struggled with youth and a lack of experience,” said LeBeauf. “Yet you could see the growth in these kids. They continued to work and commit, and that showed when we finished the regular season winning five of seven games heading to the regional tournament. There, we played one of our best games of the year and fell short to the team ranked ninth in the country.”

Eight more PJC baseball players ink letters-of-intent with four-year schools

Sophomores from the PJC baseball team who signed recently to continue their careers at four-years schools include:(from left) Ty Huie of Powderly; Cline Andrews and Blake Johnson of Sugar Land; Robert “Hobie” Harris of McKinney; Justin Eckols of Houston; Mitchell Bro of Bedford; G.R. Hinsley of Richmond; and Ryan Fickle of Liberty Hill. (PJC Photo)

Eight members of the Paris Junior College baseball team recently signed to continue their careers at four-year universities.

That brings to 12 the sophomores who are continuing their athletic and academic careers on a higher leve. Four players inked scholarship offers during the fall semester.

“This group of sophomore signees has represented themselves in the best way while attending PJC,” Dragons head baseball coach Deron Clark said.

“Within this group, we have seven members of Phi Theta Kappa (honor society), a cumulative 3.16 grade-point average, and 10 members of the NJCAA Region XIV All-Academic team,” Clark added.

All 17 sophomores on the team will graduate in two weeks, he said.

Half of the eight recent signees will go to Texas A&M-Kingsville

The eight players who just signed are:

• Cline Andrews (No. 12), Sugar Land, 6-0, 192, third baseman, Texas A&M-Kingsville.
• Mitchell Bro (No. 27), Bedford, 6-1, 225, right-handed relief pitcher, Texas A&M-Kingsville.
• Justin Eckols (No. 7), Houston, 5-10, 160, catcher, Lamar University-Beaumont.
• Ryan Fickel, Liberty Hill (No. 14), 5-9, 171, middle infielder, Texas A&M-Kingsville.
• Robert “Hobie” Harris (No. 10), McKinney, 6-3, 190, right-handed pitcher, University of Pittsburgh.
• G.R. Hinsley (No. 21), Richmond, 6-2, 210, first baseman, Texas A&M.
• Ty Huie (No. 11), Powderly, 5-9, 175, middle infielder, East Central Oklahoma.
• Blake Johnson (No. 30), Sugar Land, 6-3, 195, outfielder, Texas A&M-Kingsville.

The four PJC baseball players who signed in the fall were:

• Alex Bruu (No. 6), McKinney, 5-11, 170, right-handed pitcher, McNeese State.
• Chase Harvey (No. 3), Paris, 5-9, 160, Southern Arkansas, Magnolia, Ark.
• Jared Fielden (No. 31), Gilmer, 6-5, 245, right-handed pitcher, Southern Arkansas, Magnolia, Ark.
• Matt Johnson (No. 5), Plano, 5-10, 172, shortstop, University of Pittsburgh.

“This has been a fun group of young men to experience, and we wish them the best,” Clark said.

Several of the players praised Clark and assistant coach Bric Steed for developing their skills and making their time at PJC enjoyable and successful.

Three of the eight most recent signees have played together for the past six seasons. Andrews, Hinsley and Johnson were teammates at Sugar Land Clements for four years in high school, winning a Class 5-A state championship. This season, they combined for a .371 batting average – scoring 89 of the Dragons’ 254 runs and hitting 11 of the team’s 12 home runs.

Andrews and Johnson will be teammates again at Texas A&M-Kingsville, while Hinsley will play for the Aggies in College Station.

Matt Johnson and Harris will be teammates at Pittsburgh, and Harvey and Fielden will reunite at Southern Arkansas.

8 PJC athletes — all in baseball — make Region 14 all-academic team

Eight Paris Junior College athletes – all in baseball – were among 91 students named Thursday to academic all-conference for Region 14.

Matt Johnson

Mitchell Bro

Matt Johnson, a sophomore shortstop from Plano, and Mitchell Bro, a sophomore right-handed pitcher from Bedford, were two of only seven  athletes on the list with a perfect 4.00 grade-point average. The grade-point averages ranged from 3.26 to 4.00.

Johnson, who was also honored in February as Mr. PJC, has a scholarship to play baseball with the University of Pittsburgh after graduating this spring from PJC.

Other Dragon athletes honored for their scholastics are Robert Harris, McKinney, 3.94 GPA; George Raymond Hinsley, Richmond, 3.87; Kamereon Klott, Missouri City, 3.87; Justin Echols, Houston, 3.51; Ty Huie, Powderly, 3.35; and Alex Bisacca, Plano, 3.35.

By school, Navarro College led the way with 17 honorees, followed by Tyler Junior College 15, Blinn College 11, Trinity Valley Community College 11, Panola College 8, Paris Junior College 8, Wharton Junior College 8, Laredo Junior College 7, Bossier Parish Community College 5, and Lamar State-Port Arthur 1.

Of the 91 all-academic honorees in the junior college conference, more than one-third were in baseball.

The Region 14 sports and their athletes making the academic team, were:

• ·       Baseball 35
• ·       Volleyball 11
• ·       Football 10
• ·       Softball 10
• ·       Women’s Soccer 8
• ·       Women’s Basketball 4
• ·       Cheerleader 3
• ·       Men’s Soccer 2
• ·       Rodeo 2
• ·       Women’s Tennis 2
• ·       Athletic Trainer 1
• ·       Men’s Basketball 1
• ·       Women’s Golf 1
• ·       Men’s Tennis 1

 Here’s the complete Region 14 Academic All-Conference list:

PJC basketball players increase ‘size’ of crowd at Monday’s Paris City Council meeting

The audience for the Paris City Council meeting on Monday was TALLER than usual, thanks to five members of the Paris Junior College basletball team. From left are shown Andrew Arredondo, a redshirt freshman from Dallas Sunset High School; David Tucker, a freshman from Dallas Kimball High School; Lamar Walker, a 7-foot freshman from Highland Park, Mich.; Antione Ross, a redshirt freshman from Mount Pleasant; and Eddie Leal, a sophomore from Dallas. (ePrisExtra photo by Charles Richards)

PJC baseball coach Deron Clark celebrates 500th career win

Paris Junior College baseball coach Deron Clark gets a celebratory douse of ice water Monday after the Dragons defeated Eastfield College 17-2 for his 500th career victory. Clark credited his success to the many players and coaches that played a part in those wins along the way.

“Being able to achieve a milestone of 500 victories is a very special moment. We have enjoyed the relationships over the past 19 seasons and having so many special people come into our lives. … Without these players and coaches that have sacrificed time and effort to Paris Junior College baseball, 500 victories would never have been achieved,” he said. (PJC Photo)