Atkinson column: Renfrow signing will be a first for Meridian CC

Published 4:03 am Thursday, January 14, 2016

It is always a pleasure in life to be able to tell stories of dreams that come true.

We have seen many stories in the sports world of athletes that are blessed with a great deal of ability and use that ability to further their dreams at the highest of levels. I would talk about some of those stories, but those stories might not be as unique as the story I want to share with you today.

The rich history of athletics at Meridian Community College has always been a large staple of our community, and we take great pride in that here on our campus. We have had some of the best athletes that have gone on to do big things on the professional stage, and even some of those athletes have played in championship situations.

The best-known athlete to have ever played at Meridian Community College is Cliff Lee, who would later play in the World Series and even set some records during the Fall Classic. I mention Cliff Lee, not just because of his accomplishments, but simply because his dreams came true playing the sport he loved.

The dreams for one of our local players will come true Friday when he signs to play baseball next season for the Meridian Community College baseball program. Brandon Renfrow will sign with MCC at 3 p.m. Friday at Union Station in downtown Meridian, and his life will be forever changed.

I know you are wondering why I am I focusing on this young man. I know many local athletes sign to play at the junior college level and the four-year level every day, but this is a little bit of a different situation. Dillon Sudduth, the MCC head baseball coach, let me know earlier this week that Brandon was going to sign with MCC, and I am always excited when a student-athlete decides to make MCC their ultimate choice.

Brandon will come to MCC under different circumstances than most seniors, however, in that Brandon is a product of the Meridian Christian Home Educators. Brandon has competed at the high school level with the Meridian Flyers, which is associated with the Meridian Christian Home Educators, and will become the first baseball player to sign with MCC from that association.

I was hesitant to make that statement about him being the first baseball player to do so, but I checked through our records, and Brandon will be the first player from this type of association. I also had to thoroughly educate myself about the association because I have never been involved with a signing of this type of magnitude.

I want to let parents know I am not saying that home schooling is a bad thing, but I am saying it is very rare to see a young person from such a background sign to play college baseball at this level.  

I wanted to spend time today talking about Brandon, because let’s face it, the athletes from a home school setting really don’t get a ton of publicity. The young people that compete on the home school level never get the exposure they deserve, and I guess that is just a part of the world we live in.

I personally got to know Brandon a couple of years ago when I got the chance to work with the Golden Spikes. The Golden Spikes has produced a lot of great players that are playing collegiately all over the South. The Golden Spikes was founded in 2008 and develops baseball talent through many of its activities and was found by Monty McMullen. I got a chance to work with the Spikes a couple of years ago, and it was a pleasure to do so. I am hoping to work with them again in the near future, because they really do a marvelous job with young people in our community.

Brandon has participated as a player with the Golden Spikes in the past and has also been a member of other travel baseball groups as well. I got the chance to announce several tournaments at Q.V. Sykes Field during that particular summer and got to know Brandon a little during those tournament. Brandon is just like every other typical teenage boy, but there is no doubting his love for the game of baseball. The love for the sport was clear to me after I learned that he also got a chance to coach a little baseball for one of our local teams.

Brandon had the opportunity to coach for the local State Farm Insurance baseball team, which must have been a great experience for him as well. Brandon has developed a great relationship with the young people on that team through his positive influence, and he has developed a great love for Meridian mayor Percy Bland.

I spoke with Brandon’s mother on the phone earlier this week, and that was the one part of our conversation that stood out the most — his love for coaching baseball for that particular team. Brandon’s mother told me that the kids would miss him when Brandon has to miss a game due to his schedule, and I can guarantee these young players will be some of his biggest fans at Scaggs Field next season.

I also want to say a special thanks to Mayor Percy Bland and the positive influence that he has had on Brandon through this whole process. Brandon’s told me in our phone conversation earlier this week that he has grown quite fond of Mayor Bland for everything that he has done for him. I know that our local children are very dear to his heart, and it warms my heart to see the immense amount of time he devoted to see this young man’s dream come true.

I know we can all use that as a valuable lesson in the way we should always try to be a mentor to young people, because they are our future. We all need to understand that we all have a responsibility to be an influence in our young people, and I just want to thank Mayor Bland for leading the way.

I am extremely proud of Brandon for not only making MCC his choice, but also for working hard to reach this special moment in his young life. I am not sure what impact Brandon will make on our baseball team at MCC, but I can promise you one thing, and that is he is a true example of why you should never give up.

I hope you can take a few minutes of your time tomorrow to come by Union Station and wish Brandon well on his next adventure in life. This will be a moment he will never forget, and one our community should never forget. I can’t wait to see where this story goes from this point forward, but what a great chapter for us to add to our own story of athletics at Meridian Community College.

Robby Atkinson is the sports information director at Meridian Community College.