By Robert Wilson
Brandon sophomore third baseman K.K. Clark had a big game in the biggest upset in Mississippi high school baseball this season.
For his contribution to that win and the rest of his week’s performances, Clark has been named the Two Men and a Truck/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Baseball Player of the Week.
Clark had three hits, two runs batted in and scored a run in Brandon’s 7-6 victory over previously undefeated and nationally ranked Madison Central Friday night in Madison. Madison came into the game with a 24-0 record and ranked No. 2 nationally by Collegiate Baseball and No. 3 by MaxPreps. Before Friday, only two teams – Taylorsville in a 2-1 loss and Clinton Tuesday in a 5-3 loss – had come within five runs of Madison Central all season. One of Clark’s hits was off of Madison Central senior right-hander and Stanford signee Braden Montgomery, who is projected by MLB Pipeline to be the 54th player taken in the major league draft in June.
Clark hit .454 (5 for 11) with two runs and three RBIs in three games for Brandon last week. He was 1 for 3 with one run scored against Northwest Rankin and 1 for 3 with an RBI against Terry before Clark’s big game against Madison Central.
Clark was hitting .372 with 12 runs, 9 RBIs and 2 doubles this season entering this week for Brandon, which was 20-7 after the Madison Central victory.
“KK has worked all year to earn time,” Brandon coach Daniel Best said. “He is still young and learning but is improving every week and starting to put things together. Hopefully, he can gain more confidence and carry his success of late into the playoffs.”
Clark is brother of Kellum Clark, who is a freshman first baseman at Mississippi State and was the Two Men and a Truck/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Baseball Player of the Year last season for Brandon.
