BASEBALL: Four Chaps signing with 4-year colleges

MC baseball coach Hector Rodriguez said these four players are the backbone of his team.

"They're kids that we want in our program," Rodriguez said. "They check all the boxes when you talk about all the off-the-field stuff.  In the classroom they are really good student-athletes, and on the field, their signings are a testament of their abilities.

Grebeck is in his first semester at MC after transferring from Baylor. Rodriguez said Grebeck can play either shortstop, second base or third base for them.

"We were so excited to get him back from Baylor this year," Rodriguez said. "He is a baseball player and I think the fit at DBU is going to be really good. He's a plus-plus defender, he's a left-handed hitter who runs hard, plays the game hard. I'm excited that we get to have him for a year and let his talents play in our conference. I think he's a got chance to be one of those better players in our conference. I'm glad he trusted in our program to come back here for a year and he'll be able to get on the field a bunch. He had a great fall and DBU saw that and I think he's going to have an impact when he gets there."

When he first committed, Grebeck told the Reporter-Telegram he was recruited by DBU assistant coach Cliff Pennington, who was a former RockHounds and major league infielder, and it seemed like a perfect fit.

"It's good to have a place to go," he said. "It's been a good fall so far and everything has gone pretty well. Coming back to Midland, I was just looking for a place to play and I'm glad everything worked out. It's different for sure, but there's a good group of guys here and it's good to get on your feet. Going to the (JUCO) World Series would be awesome. Hopefully, everybody can have a good season and stays healthy."

Clark played in 33 games for an MC team that went 40-20 and made it to the championship game of the NJCAA Region V Tournament. He batted .356 with five home runs and 23 RBI.

Clark, who recently came to his decision on LCU, said everything fell into place when he went for a visit. His signing also continues a strong pipeline to LCU over the years.

"Honestly, when I went down there, I loved the facilities, I loved the coaches and it seemed like a really good culture," he said. "It seemed like a really good place to be for the next part of my college life. I felt like God wanted me to be there and it was just a really good fit."

Clark said he also looked at Abilene Christian University and Western Kentucky.

"LCU is going to love him," said Rodriguez about Clark. "I think he's going to be able to play any position they need him to play and he can hit in the middle of the order, no problem. He's going to be a really good Division II player. LCU was an opportunity he didn't want to pass up, even though he was being recruited by Division I schools."

Clark said it's also good to get the decision made so he can concentrate on the season.

"It's a big relief, for sure," he said. "I can just get on the field and not have to worry about where I'm going to go and strap in and have some fun with my teammates.

"I have gotten stronger, gotten bigger and I've matured in the game. I'm excited to see what happens."

Parker split time at catcher or was in the lineup at designated hitter for the Chaps last year. He played in 42 games and batted .292 with four home runs and 28 RBI. He also got some limited time on the mound, pitching about 4 2/3 innings.

"Hudson Parker, to me, his ceiling is really, really high," Rodriguez said. "I think he has a chance to have a bust-out year. He's a legitimate two-way player in junior college baseball and he's going to have a chance to do that in Lubbock. He's going to be a chance to be a leader at the catching position for us. I've got to find a way to get him as many innings as I can on the mound, because he has a chance to make a difference on the mound."

Parker, who is from Rowlett, said he's been in contact with the Red Raiders a couple of years and it was a place he wanted to be.  

"I loved their baseball program and just love West Texas and I'm excited to stay here," he said. "Great coaches, great facilities and just the opportunity to play in the Big 12 is fantastic."

Parker said he also drew interest from ACU, Houston, UT-San Antonio and Louisiana-Lafayette.

"I wanted to get this done, find a place to be and just play with everything I got this season," he said. "I'm looking forward to playing again this season. I love Juco baseball, I love Midland and it's just a fantastic experience."

Lindsey is a 6-foot-7, 262-pound right-hander from Flower Mound Marcus, who battled an injury early last season before being mostly a contributor out of the bullpen. He went 3-3 with a 7.71 ERA, struck out 47 and walked 18 in 39.2 innings of work.

"Michael Lindsey is a kid who has grown up in front of us," Rodriguez said. "He's a kid that didn't do much in high school. He came to a junior college to get as many reps and innings as he could and get big and strong. He's continuing to grow, continuing to develop and I think he'll be a frontline arm for Missouri State. We had to shut him down this fall but he's on track to getting healthy and should be in our starting rotation this coming (season)."

Lindsey said this signing means a lot to him.

"I didn't get to play much in high school and I found a passion for the game, worked my butt off and it paid off," he said. "It felt like what they're creating there is a family and that's what I was looking for, a group of guys that felt like home. I went to Missouri State on my visit and the next day I committed. I loved it."

Lindsey said he learned a lot from last year's talented pitching staff that included Luke Young (11th round pick by the Washington Nationals), Luis Rodriguez (Incarnate Word signee) and Jarek Wells (Houston Baptist signee).

"The guys last year were great," he said. "I learned a lot of my philosophy from them, so I really gained a lot from them last year."

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