By By Austin Bishop
EMG regional sports director
Gerard McCall says time is on his side.
The 22-year-old former Meridian High School standout says he plans to continued playing baseball for as long as he can.
McCall was drafted by the Chicago White Sox out of high school, and played three years in their farm system, before being let go two seasons ago. He played for Montgomery (Ala.) in the independent All-American Association last season, hitting .297.
This year he has played in 38 of the Senators 43 games this season, including 35 of those behind the plate.
The 6-foot, 220-pounder has been a starter throughout his Minor League career, and has always swung a solid bat. Going into this season he was a career .285 hitter as a pro.
But, he said there was still something missing in his game.
In the lower minor league system of organized baseball, most of the players are between 18- and 22-years-old. In the independent leagues, you will find them ranging from 20 to the low-30s. Some of the players, such as Jackson pitcher Jeff Ware, even have Major League experience.
He is hitting just .230 so far this season, but has three homers and 16 RBIs. But his defense has impressed the league coaches so much, that he was chosen to play in the Central League All-Star game on July 9 in San Angelo, Texas.
To make this season even better, this is the first time since he has turned pro that McCall is actually in the thick of a pennant race. Going into Wednesday night's home game against San Angelo (Texas), the Senators had a half-game lead over Springfield/Ozark in the CBL East division, with five games to play in the first half of the season.
The Senators close out their current home stand with a single game against San Angelo today, and then a three-game series against Alexandria on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.