MOBILE, Ala. – With just over a month left in the summer break, several University of South Alabama baseball student-athletes look to help push their summer league teams to league championships.

In the Prospect League, four Jaguars, Brad Hook, Phillip Byrd, Nolan Earley and Chad Reeves, are chasing a division championship with their respective clubs.

Earley and Reeves have helped lead the Terre Haute Rex to an 8-2 record in the season’s second half, and are just a half-game back of the division-leading Richmond River Rats.

Earley is hitting .285 with 15 RBI, and leads Terre Haute in doubles (12), triples (3), runs scored (26) and base on balls (22). The Anderson, Ind., native is tied for fourth in the Prospect League in doubles,  just one behind the leader, and is tied for 10th in hits. He ranks third in hits (41) among the Rex, and is fifth in on-base percentage (.395).

Reeves (2-0) boasts a 3.35 ERA in 43 innings pitched, and ranks third on Terre Haute in strikeouts (33). He pitched four innings Sunday afternoon, and allowed just one earned run on three hits and two strikeouts, but did not factor in the decision. The Mobile native has also been getting done at the plate, and ranks second on the Rex with a .353 batting average, collecting six hits in 17 at-bats, with three RBI.

Hook and Byrd helped DuBois County close to within 4.5 games of the Danville Dans at the end of the first half of the season. Since the break, DuBois County is 4-6, and has dropped to seven games back of the division leader.

Hook is tied for the team lead in hits (32), doubles (9) and base on balls (14), and is batting .250 with 17 RBI. He ranks second on the team in runs scored (20), and so far this summer, has recorded eight multiple-hit games. The Franklin, Ind., native has made one appearance on the mound this season, and tossed one shutout inning with two strikeouts without allowing a hit.

Byrd (1-0) has not allowed a run in his last two appearances, and has held the opposition scoreless in three of his last four appearances out of the bullpen. The left-hander pitched one inning of scoreless relief in his last appearance, which came July 14 against Terre Haute. This summer, Byrd has recorded 21 strikeouts in 19.2 innings pitched, holds a 4.12 ERA in 11 appearances and has recorded one save.

Right-hander Shane LeBlanc (1-4) was named the Southern Collegiate Baseball League Pitcher of the Week for the week ending June 27, after tossing a complete game against the Ashville Redbirds. LeBlanc, who is pitching for the Carolina Chaos, allowed one run on just two hits, and recorded four strikeouts while issuing just one walk. The Biloxi, Miss., native will look to push the Chaos into the second round of the West Division playoffs, which start Monday evening. LeBlanc and the fourth-seeded Chaos will take on division leader Spartanburg for a chance to play for the division title.

Jaguar catcher Brent Mitchell continues to swing a hot bat for the Kitchener Panthers in his native Canada. The Paris, Ontario, native is hitting .284 with three home runs and 10 RBI with 15 runs scored this summer. He is slugging .446 while posting an on-base percentage of .382. Mitchell opened the summer with a six-game hit streak, which included two three-hit games and one game in which he collected two hits.

Jaguar outfielder Nathaniel Lami is batting .242 with the Fayetteville SwampDogs of the Coastal Plain League. He has driven in eight runs with a double in 62 at-bats this summer, and has scored 10 runs.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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