1978 Arrows baseball team finally gets state championship rings

By Danny C. Davis

The Clinton Arrows have won two MHSAA Baseball Championships in the school’s baseball history. The first came in 1978, and the second in 1990.

So, forty-six years after the first baseball title, a few of the 1978 team members discussed how great it would be if they could have a state championship ring, which, at the time of their championship, was not available.

The idea was conceived by Joel Waters, the only junior starter on the team, along with senior starters Hal Kitchings and Steve Jordan.

“We just started the conversation between the three of us about how cool it would be to have the championship rings,” said Waters, who later played baseball at the University of Southern Mississippi.

“We have had a reunion every five years and are a close group. The whole group was all in to go ahead and order the rings.”

Eleven of the players were present for the ring ceremony, along with former head coach Bruce Adams and assistant coach Mickey McMurtry. Team member Mike Bishop passed away in 2013, and a moment of silence was held in his honor at the ring party.

All other players on the 1978 team will also have an opportunity to get a 1978 championship ring.

Adams and McMurtry both played quarterback for the Clinton Arrow football team and played baseball for Clinton High School (CHS).

Adams quarterbacked the 1969 Arrow football team, the last team to play at the old Crane Field.

McMurtry quarterbacked the 1972 Arrows, who were the first Clinton Arrow team to win the overall Little Dixie Championship.

Back in the mid- to late-70s, Clinton competed in baseball in MHSAA District 6 AA classification and also had Little Dixie Conference games. But the team to beat in Jackson was the Wingfield Falcons, the high school baseball powerhouse at the time.

Adams’ first team was very good in 1977, but they were put out in the playoffs in the first round by their nemesis Wingfield.

“We knew coming into the 1978 season that we had everybody back, and we had a chance to win it all,” said Adams. “And we had Mickey McMurtry, who was doing his graduate teaching at Clinton High School, joining me coaching.”

The senior-laden Arrows were led on the mound by two outstanding pitchers – Bryan Hardwick and Phillip Weathersby. The duo won thirty-one games for the championship Arrows.

Weathersby was 14-0 as a starter and stole 30 bases, also. Hardwick was 16-1 on the mound. Both Weathersby and Hardwick both were signed by and pitched for the Mississippi State baseball team.

The 1978 Arrows were solid defensive team around the diamond and had a lot of speed in the outfield.

The most vocal player was the gritty catcher, Brian Richardson, who called the pitches for Weathersby and Hardwick and was the team leader on the field. Richardson also was a star player on the undefeated 1977 Arrow football field at defensive back. He once had four interceptions in a game against Warren Central and was also the backup quarterback.

At first base was Sam Lee, a tall, lanky Arrow basketball player with long arms that seemed they could reach just about anything. Lee also led the team with 14 home runs.

“I didn’t go into the season thinking about hitting that many home runs,” said Lee. “I was trying to put the ball into play.”

“I think being tall and a basketball player really helped Sam at first base for us,” said Waters. “Man, he could jump up and catch anything over his hit.”

Hal Kitchings was solid at second base. He also played in the outfield, depending on who was pitching.

Terry Randolph was the two-year solid starter at shortstop.

“The thing about Terry was he was probably the most consistent infield player we had,” said Waters. “He was going to make the catch and a good throw.” Randolph was also a starter on the 1977 CHS football team.

Waters was the junior third baseman and the only junior starter. He was consistent, a student of the game and also played for the 1977 CHS football team.

The Arrows were very talented in the outfield, led by All Little Dixie Conference championship quarterback Steve Jordan, who made the move from infield to centerfield for the 1978 season.

“That was a great move that helped us win the championship,” said Richardson.

“With Hal at second and Jordan in centerfield, that made us very good down the middle.”

Jordan went to Mississippi State on a football scholarship and later transferred to Mississippi College, where he excelled in football and baseball.

The right fielder was the speedster, Louis Beverly, who also excelled as a wide receiver and defensive back for the CHS football team.

The late Mike Bishop also played right field and had a lot of speed. He was a leader at linebacker on the 1977 championship football team.

“All of our outfielders had a lot of speed and could make very good throws into the infield to get opponents out,” said Waters.

When it came time for the district championship, Adams and the team knew that they had to finish and beat rival Wingfield to advance in the playoffs.

The first playoff game was at Wingfield, played in south Jackson at the old Levelwoods baseball facility.

During the season and playoffs, Hardwick always pitched game one, and Weathersby always pitched game two. They both pitched complete games throughout the playoff series.

At Wingfield, it all came down to a couple of big plays by the Arrow defense. Waters made a big play coming in close on a bunt and threw the player out at first to end the fourth inning.

Then it all came down to the last inning, with Clinton holding a 4-3 lead with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Falcons having the tying run on first base with Wingfield‘s best hitter at the plate.

A fly ball was hit to deep center field, with Jordan making a major league catch to win game one.

“I saw the ball headed to deep center,” said catcher Brian Richardson. “Jordan made this unbelievable catch. I think that one play changed the culture of Clinton baseball. We felt like we could win it all then, and we had earned a lot of respect.”

At the time, CHS baseball was playing home games at the old Clinton football field, Crane Field, across the street from Mississippi College’s then-football field, Robinson Field. Home plate was in the southeast end zone, with a make-shift left field wall across the football field.

“I received a phone call from Pop Allen, the Jackson Public School Athletic Director, who wanted to move the second game to the much larger major league Smith Wills Stadium in Jackson,” said Adams. “I politely said, ‘No, we are playing Wingfield at our little home field.’”

Clinton beat Wingfield 6-0 the next day to win the opening round of the playoffs and then went undefeated in the remaining playoff games, beating Long Beach and McComb both in a two-game series to win the South championship. The Arrows advanced to their first state title game and beat Columbus Caldwell, 6-3 at Columbus and 5-0 at Clinton, to claim their first baseball state championship in school history.

“After that final out, I went through a range of emotions,” said Adams. “Firstly, I was elated and excited for the guys, because they had worked so hard; and, secondly, it was very gratifying to bring a state championship to our school and community.”

“But, after the celebration died down, I had a few reflective moments that hurt my heart. I realized these guys would never play another game together as a team, and I would never have the privilege of coaching them again.”

“There is no doubt that Bruce Adams was the guy who changed the culture of Clinton Arrow baseball,” said Waters. “He was an innovative coach for that time period, making sure all nine players were in the right position according to the batter and the pitch count. We earned the respect statewide with the championship win.”

Earlier in the post season, the Arrows defeated Mendenhall 2-1 and 9-4 to also claim the overall Little Dixie Conference baseball title.

The Arrows finished the season 32-2 as the #1 baseball team in the state and were ranked 7th nationally by Collegiate Baseball Magazine.

Adams was named Mississippi High School baseball coach of the year, and Hardwick and Weathersby were named to the MHSAA 1978 All Star game.

Waters was named to the 1979 MHSAA 1979 All Star game that was coached by Adams.

Adams had a long successful career coaching high school football at West Jones in Mississippi and at Foley High School and Gulf Shores High School in Alabama. He still coaches middle school sports and teaches at Gulf Shores High School.

McMurtry had a stellar coaching career after working as a graduate assistant at Auburn. He became one of the winningest high school baseball coaches in Georgia history, winning over five hundred games at Lassiter High School in Marietta, Georgia, in twenty-six years as head baseball coach. He was named to the Georgia High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame and the high school stadium at Lassiter now bears his name.

“They were a group of guys who, for the most part, grew up together in a community that provided them with opportunities to play the game of baseball,” said Adams. “They all had played a lot of baseball and had been coached by good baseball coaches before they ever got to me. When you combined their talents collectively as a team, they were unbeatable. Each brought the single most important factor to their success – their competitiveness. I have never in years since coached a bunch who hated to lose more than those guys did.”