Youngblood Named Top Prospect

From School Reports

Meridian Community College baseball standout Jonathan Youngblood was recently recognized by Perfect Game as one of its top prospects for 2012. Youngblood just completed a summer season by competing in the Jayhawk League as a member of the Dodge City Athletics. Youngblood was ranked as the fourth highest prospect in the Jayhawk League according to the Perfect Game publication.

“It was a great opportunity for him to go off this summer and continue to build off the improvement he had throughout his freshman year with us,” said MCC head coach Dillon Sudduth. “ It was important for his development to be put in an environment where he could experience playing every day and to put a wood bat in his hands. He is the kind of athlete that will get better and better with the more at bats he gets. He can really run and throw, he just needs to keep gaining strength and as he matures he will continue to improve offensively.”

Youngblood, a native of Lexington, KY, played most of his games during 2012 in center field for the Eagles. Youngblood was among the top ten for most of the season in stolen bases in the nation and will look to guide the Eagles toward another championship season in 2013.

Youngblood was drafted in the 30th round out of high school by the Atlanta Braves and opted to come to MCC this past season. Youngblood was drafted once again during the most recent MLB draft in June by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 15th round.

The Jayhawk League is one of the most prestigious, well scouted, and competitive leagues in the nation. The Jayhawk League has teams in one of the Midwestern states in the heartland of America: Kansas. The six-member league has an automatic berth into the National Baseball Congress World Series that is played in Wichita, Kansas. The Jayhawk League is a wood bat league that plays according to the American League rules. Dozens of current or former Major League stars have played in the Jayhawk League and those include: Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman, Ozzie Smith, Trevor Hoffman, and Doug Drabek.

The other teams that are a part of the Jayhawk League include: the Derby Twins, El Dorado Broncos, Hays Larks, Haysville Heat, and Liberal Bee Jays.