Eagles' shortstop signs with D'Rays
By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Aug. 26, 2003
Meridian Community College will be without one of its center pieces from last season's baseball squad that finished fifth at the Junior College World Series.
Shortstop Brandon Rousseve signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization last Thursday. The New Orleans native was selected in the 35th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Devil Rays in June.
The loss of last season's starting shortstop came as a surprise to Eagles head coach Michael Federico, but the MCC skipper was happy for his player.
Rousseve batted .306 for MCC last year in the Eagles' lead-off spot, with 10 doubles and one home run, which was a grand slam.
At shortstop, he stabilized the Eagles' left side of the infield, along with third baseman Van Pope. Rousseve finished last season with a .926 fielding percentage.
The 6-foot infielder will report to Tampa Bay to participate in the team's instructional league on Sept. 7, and will be assigned to the team's single-A affiliate, the Hudson Valley Renegades, in the New York-Penn League beginning in March.
MCC does have replacements lined up for Rousseve, who drove in 34 runs and scored 37 times last season.
The Eagles signed Richmond Alexander from Meridian High School, Dillon Sudduth from Madison Central and Scottie Jacobs from Caledonia High School, who can all play shortstop, but Federico said replacing Rousseve will be harder than just filling the spot in the infield and batting order.