Ussery eyes Yellow Jackets
Wednesday, November 9, 2005
The Latin American major leaguer approached the American teenager taking batting practice alongside he and his young cousin on a spring day in Dorado, Puerto Rico.
The kid, a right-handed switch-hitter, hadn't knocked one out of the park all afternoon. Noticing this, the 1999 American League Rookie of the Year strolled over and adjusted the boy's stance, telling him to move his hands down and back a bit -- just for a drill.
The next ball the boy saw sprung off the face of his wooden bat, sailing nearly out of the large sports stadium. Carlos Beltran nodded in approval.
At the end of the session, the boy says Beltran told him: "'There, now you hit like a man. Before, I'm not so sure.'"
So now, having honed his skills on two very different islands, Jeff Ussery is preparing to play baseball for the Georgia Institute of Technology.
A speedy shortstop and switch hitter, the Hilton Head Island native plans to stroll to the mailbox today to receive and sign a formal letter of commitment from the Yellow Jackets, which finished first in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season. Ussery verbally committed Sept. 29.
"The coaches were great," Ussery said. "I wanted to play where I could actually have an opportunity to play in the field and then I also wanted to go to the College World Series, and it's a realistic possibility with them."
Monday, Ussery will be one of six Heritage Academy students taking part in an 11 a.m. signing ceremony at the private school.
He will graduate in December from the Heritage Academy, although he previously attended both Hilton Head High School and Hilton Head Christian Academy.
At age 12, Ussery played for Larry Page on the island team which won the 1999 Dixie Youth Major World Series. He played under American Legion coach Randy McGarvey at Hilton Head Christian Academy and for Chris Wells while with the Seahawks. He credits those coaches and their staffs for the success he began to enjoy during the past summer, when he played with the Savannah Chain, an independent club team.
The 6-foot-3, 181-pound Ussery began switch hitting at 14. He played a whole season of Dixie Youth baseball batting left handed, and fully integrated switch hitting into his game during his sophomore year of high school.
"He does everything really well," Seahawks coach Chris Wells said. "Hitting from both sides is becoming a lost art."
The 18-year-old also runs the 60-yard dash in 6.7 seconds.
"Everything just kind of came together this summer; God blessed me with a good summer," he said. "My speed was getting better, my strength was getting better. I was able to focus, and it happened to be the right time."
Ussery said the exposure Chain coach Kris Edge helped coordinate for all his players, in addition to the six showcase tournaments Ussery played over the last several months, helped him achieve a spot on a Division I roster.
As did the international flavor Ussery let percolate into his game earlier this year.
Ussery took advantage of the Heritage Academy's flexible academic program with a two-month, independently-coordinated study abroad trip to Puerto Rico last spring. There he unexpectedly met Johnny Ramos, a Kansas City Royals scout. Ramos, who originally signed Beltran, allowed Ussery to attend infield practice three times a week alongside some of the Royals' minor leaguers.
"It helped a lot," he said. "I learned a lot from watching them. It's awesome the way they do everything. They're really smooth, the game is a lot, I guess, faster and smoother. I guess the only word I can think of is smooth. As they say, 'Suave.'"
So smooth, in fact, that Ramos recommended Ussery take up salsa dancing to help his infielding. Which, if he so chooses, he'll have a chance to do in mid-January, when he'll return to Puerto Rico for more training.
Source: http://www.islandpacket.com/
The Latin American major leaguer approached the American teenager taking batting practice alongside he and his young cousin on a spring day in Dorado, Puerto Rico.
The kid, a right-handed switch-hitter, hadn't knocked one out of the park all afternoon. Noticing this, the 1999 American League Rookie of the Year strolled over and adjusted the boy's stance, telling him to move his hands down and back a bit -- just for a drill.
The next ball the boy saw sprung off the face of his wooden bat, sailing nearly out of the large sports stadium. Carlos Beltran nodded in approval.
At the end of the session, the boy says Beltran told him: "'There, now you hit like a man. Before, I'm not so sure.'"
So now, having honed his skills on two very different islands, Jeff Ussery is preparing to play baseball for the Georgia Institute of Technology.
A speedy shortstop and switch hitter, the Hilton Head Island native plans to stroll to the mailbox today to receive and sign a formal letter of commitment from the Yellow Jackets, which finished first in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season. Ussery verbally committed Sept. 29.
"The coaches were great," Ussery said. "I wanted to play where I could actually have an opportunity to play in the field and then I also wanted to go to the College World Series, and it's a realistic possibility with them."
Monday, Ussery will be one of six Heritage Academy students taking part in an 11 a.m. signing ceremony at the private school.
He will graduate in December from the Heritage Academy, although he previously attended both Hilton Head High School and Hilton Head Christian Academy.
At age 12, Ussery played for Larry Page on the island team which won the 1999 Dixie Youth Major World Series. He played under American Legion coach Randy McGarvey at Hilton Head Christian Academy and for Chris Wells while with the Seahawks. He credits those coaches and their staffs for the success he began to enjoy during the past summer, when he played with the Savannah Chain, an independent club team.
The 6-foot-3, 181-pound Ussery began switch hitting at 14. He played a whole season of Dixie Youth baseball batting left handed, and fully integrated switch hitting into his game during his sophomore year of high school.
"He does everything really well," Seahawks coach Chris Wells said. "Hitting from both sides is becoming a lost art."
The 18-year-old also runs the 60-yard dash in 6.7 seconds.
"Everything just kind of came together this summer; God blessed me with a good summer," he said. "My speed was getting better, my strength was getting better. I was able to focus, and it happened to be the right time."
Ussery said the exposure Chain coach Kris Edge helped coordinate for all his players, in addition to the six showcase tournaments Ussery played over the last several months, helped him achieve a spot on a Division I roster.
As did the international flavor Ussery let percolate into his game earlier this year.
Ussery took advantage of the Heritage Academy's flexible academic program with a two-month, independently-coordinated study abroad trip to Puerto Rico last spring. There he unexpectedly met Johnny Ramos, a Kansas City Royals scout. Ramos, who originally signed Beltran, allowed Ussery to attend infield practice three times a week alongside some of the Royals' minor leaguers.
"It helped a lot," he said. "I learned a lot from watching them. It's awesome the way they do everything. They're really smooth, the game is a lot, I guess, faster and smoother. I guess the only word I can think of is smooth. As they say, 'Suave.'"
So smooth, in fact, that Ramos recommended Ussery take up salsa dancing to help his infielding. Which, if he so chooses, he'll have a chance to do in mid-January, when he'll return to Puerto Rico for more training.
Source: http://www.islandpacket.com/
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