May 18, 2004
Rebs' Head wins 1st Ferriss Award


Former Hillcrest Christian star tearing up SEC as hitter and pitcher

By Michael Wallace
mwallace@clarionledger.com

Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco believes Stephen Head could have an Eli Manning-type impact on the baseball program.

Head is well on his way to collecting just as much hardware.

Head added another accolade to his resume Monday by winning the first Boo Ferriss Award. The sophomore first baseman/pitcher beat out Southern Miss' Jarrett Hoffpauir and Mississippi State's Brad Corley for the award that goes to the state's top college player.
A panel of nearly two dozen major league scouts who cover Mississippi voted on the award.

"This is definitely one of the best things that has happened in my career so far," Head said following Monday's ceremony at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. "There are two other guys here very deserving of this award. Unfortunately, only one of us could get it."

Boo Ferriss, an MSU standout in the early 1940s, a star pitcher with the Box Red Sox and then a long-time coach at Delta State coach, spoke at the awards luncheon. He said he didn't envy those who had the job of selecting the winner.

"On the same team, I'd say (Head, Corley and Hoffpauir) would be a murderers' row," said Ferriss, a member of the Red Sox's Hall of Fame. "I'd have to pitch them low and behind. I don't think Stephen Head would even like to pitch to himself."

Head's versatility likely gave him a nudge in the balloting. The 6-foot-3 lefty ranks eighth in the SEC with a .360 batting average to go with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs.

Head is also 6-1 on the mound with five saves and a 2.43 ERA that ranks fifth in the league. Head anchors an Ole Miss team that is 38-15 overall and 17-10 in the SEC.

The Rebels head into this weekend's home series against LSU with a chance to capture their first overall conference regular-season title since the league expanded to 12 teams in 1992.

Ole Miss has been ranked in the top 25 in at least one of the four major college polls all season. The Rebels enter the LSU series ranked No. 10 in the Sports Weekly/ESPN poll released Monday.

Head had some pretty steep competition for the Ferriss.

Corley, a sophomore right fielder, is batting .374 and leads the SEC with 18 home runs. Corley also has 49 RBIs for the Bulldogs.

Hoffpauir leads C-USA with 70 RBIs and is batting .392 with 23 doubles and seven home runs and for USM, 39-13.

"Even though I didn't win it, it was still awesome to be nominated as one of the finalists the first time the award's ever been given," Corley said. "It went to a great guy in Stephen, who is having a great year along with his team."

Said Hoffpauir: "I think all of us have been swinging the bat pretty well, but Stephen's also been able to have a big year pitching, too."

Head found himself thanking Corley for more than compliments.

The Rebels were trying to catch Arkansas in the SEC West standings last week, and Head called Corley on his cell phone over the weekend to ask that Corley make sure MSU beats the Razorbacks.

The Bulldogs won two of three against Arkansas to improve to 31-22 overall and 10-17 in the SEC. Corley hit a walk-off home run to help clinch the series on Sunday.

More important to Head, the two losses dropped the Razorbacks into a tie for first in the West with Ole Miss entering the final SEC week of the regular season.

"I told my buddy at Mississippi State that they had to (win that series) for us," Head said. "They pulled it off and it was sort of nice for Brad to hit the walk-off homer."

The award for Head comes five months after Manning, the former Ole Miss quarterback and top pick in April's NFL Draft, won the Conerly Trophy that honors the state's top college football player.

Head, the national freshman of the year last season, was a preseason All-America pick and is a finalist for national player of the year.

The former Hillcrest Christian star won a silver medal with the USA baseball team that competed at last summer's Pan American Games. Head will also play for the USA team this summer.

"To think of all this young man is accomplishing is amazing," Bianco said. "The best thing is he's only a sophomore. He's still got a lot more college baseball left to play."