FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Contact:  Robert Preston, Jr.,
              912.260.4276
              robert.preston@sgsc.edu

SGC’s Josh Palmer signs with Brewton-Parker, named to All Tournament Team

When South Georgia College outfielder/pitcher Josh Palmer was forced to sit out the 2009 baseball season, he wasn’t sure what was going to happen. As it turned out, the one-season hiatus was one of the best things that ever happened to him. “I had played baseball all my life and was starting to get burned out. I started missing the game, and it made me hungry. It was actually good for me,” he recalls.

Palmer came into the 2010 season as an important part of head coach Scott Sims’s game plan. Palmer still had to earn his spot on the team. That didn’t bother him; he had been working out for over a year and was ready when the team began practicing. Palmer ended up in right field and found a spot in the middle of the batting order. “I knew we had a good team and I had a good feeling about how we would play,” says Palmer. Offense wouldn’t be a problem – the line-up was stacked from top to bottom with very good hitters. In order to be successful, the Tigers would have to pitch well. The pitching staff came around as the season progressed, and SGC found itself near the top of the conference.

After a big three-game sweep to end the season, the Tigers moved into the second seed heading into the play-offs. When the post-season began, Palmer stepped up as one of SGC’s most important players. He played in his familiar spot in right field and hit in the clean-up spot. “Those of us in the middle of the order knew what our job was. We were supposed to drive in runs. We wanted to hit doubles in the gap and home runs. I wanted to have a lot of fun at the plate and be aggressive. I looked for fastballs up in the zone that I could drive,” says Palmer.

His approach worked. In the five play-off games SGC played (two against ABAC and three against Gordon), Palmer led the Tigers with a .450 batting average (9 for 20), 2 home runs, 16 RBI, and 2 doubles. He hit his first home run against ABAC, a two-run shot that put the Tigers up 8-2. His second homer, a solo shot in the third inning, came against Gordon. The Tigers lost that contest 14-4. As important as Palmer was to SGC’s offense, his most spectacular play took place in the field. In game one against ABAC, designated hitter Jeremy Rosier hit a line drive to right field. Palmer had a chance to dive after the ball but it would prove costly if the ball got away. He knew Rosier wasn’t particularly fast so he stayed on his feet and made the play off the wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rosier heading for second. He turned and threw a rocket to shortstop Andrew Anderson, who was waiting at second for the ball. Anderson caught the ball and made the tag for the out. The SGC bench and fans went crazy. “Making a throw like that is almost as much fun as hitting a home run,” says Palmer.

Palmer’s favorite post-season moment took place in game two during the Gordon series. The Tigers had the bases loaded with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning (and with SGC trailing 1-0 in the series), pinch hitter David Reid-Foley hit a grounder to second baseman Nate Mitzel, who had to rush the throw. The field was wet due to a brief spell of heavy rain (the game was interrupted twice by weather, including once in the ninth) and the soggy ball got away from Mitzel on the throw, allowing Kenny Sanderson to score from third to win the game. “That was the most excited I got all year,” he remembers.

After the conference play-offs ended (with Gordon defeating Middle Georgia for the state title), Palmer’s performance in the first two rounds earned him a spot on the All Tournament Team, the only Tiger named to the squad. Palmer has also signed with the Brewton-Parker Barons and will continue his playing career in Mount Vernon. “I had spoken with Brewton-Parker during my first year at South Georgia. About half way through this season, I knew I would sign with them. I know the coaches up there and the Barons have a great program,” says Palmer. During his two years at SGC, Palmer enjoyed a successful career and is very thankful to the Tiger program for the opportunity to play. “Coach Sims and Coach [Jeff] Timothy are really easy to play for. They made it fun, and we had a great group of guys. We had a good time on and off the field,” says Palmer.

“Josh was an important part of our success this season. He played well for us during the regular season and really stepped up his game during the post-season. He had some big moments at the plate and in the field. Josh is going to have a bright future at Brewton-Parker and we wish him the best as he begins this next stage of his career,” says SGC assistant coach Jeff Timothy.

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About South Georgia College

South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu) was founded in 1906 and is a two-year institution in the University System of Georgia. Located in Douglas, Ga., the college's environment gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty.