Yes, it was yet another super-strong weekend for the Southern baseball team. In thumping Jackson State twice to sweep their two-game series, the Jaguars extended their winning streak to 13 games and further established themselves as the probable favorite at the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament — which, of course, happens right at Lee-Hines Field.
But they weren’t the only group of Jaguars to have a productive weekend.
The football coaches — remember them? — had quite a little event on campus, as well.
The staff dreamed up, and executed, Southern’s first major Junior Day on Saturday afternoon, hosting area prospects who are currently high school juniors — guys who are only a few months away from their senior year, when the recruiting race truly gets hot.
The idea was born mostly out of necessity. In 2011, Southern signed no recruits from the Baton Rouge area, and only a handful from New Orleans. This year, the Jaguars grabbed a few recruits from Louisiana, but dove heavily into Florida for most of their signees.
Stump Mitchell and quarterbacks coach Chad Germany — a Baton Rouge native and former Capitol coach — did their best to reconnect with Louisiana schools with Junior Day.
Saturday, a host of players and parents were seen milling around the A.W. Mumford Field House.
This is not a complete list, but these guys were among them:
Donald Cage, WR, Redemptorist
Carlos Henderson, ATH, McDonogh 35
Tristan Cooper, WR, University High/Tampa (Fla.) Plant
Hakeem Deggs, DB, Plaquemine
Brandon Fields, WR, St. Michael the Archangel
Reggie Smith, OL, Ouachita Parish
Kenneth Santa Maria, OL, McDonogh 35
Jermaine Antoine, ATH, Loreauville
Bryan Walker, ATH, Sulphur
Jeremiah Guillory, OL, Hamilton Christian
Justin Kelley, RB/LB, Redemptorist
Larry Clark, WR, Scotlandville
Tanzel Smart, DL, Scotlandville
Quint Chaney, OL, Sumter Central
Donovan McCray, OL/DL, McKinley
Chris Weatherspoon, DB, Natchez (Miss.)
Dondre Dobbins, DB, Scotlandville
Donovan Logan, DL, Trinity Episcopal
Larry Cage, LB, Zachary
Chris Taylor, OL, Zachary
Dave White, DB, McKinley
Jarrell Rogers, DB, Episcopal
Leotis Washington, WR, Sumter Central
Josh Rogers, DB, Broadmoor
Brenton Terrance, ATH, Woodlawn
Miquel James, ATH, Jewel Sumner
Terence Blevins, DB, Sheffield
Murphy Nash, P, Southern Lab
How much of a difference did Junior Day make?
How many Louisiana players might consider Southern now, rather than bailing for an out-of-state program or a nearby rival? Who knows?
No known commitments were made, but of course, it’s very, very early on the recruiting calendar — especially on the Southwestern Athletic Conference level.
But for Southern, an event like this surely didn’t hurt.
