By Robert Wilson
First-year Madison-Ridgeland Academy head coach Chad Lipscomb isn’t the last person to leave the baseball facility every day.
It’s MRA’s Alex Lambert who locks it up daily.
That’s how dedicated the junior shortstop is to his sport and last week his hard work paid off for the Patriots.
The Jones County Junior College commitment hit .500 (6 for 12) with .833 slugging percentage, 2 runs scored, 4 runs batted in, 1 home run, 1 double, did not strikeout, and handled eight fielding chances without an error to lead MRA to two wins over Hartfield Academy in its MAIS Class 6A three-game series last week.
For his outstanding performance, Lambert has been named the BSN Sports/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Baseball Player of the Week.
Lambert was 3 for 3 with 1 run, 2 RBIs, and 1 home run in a 5-0 victory in Game 1, 1`for 4 with 1 RBI and 1 double in a 6-4 loss in Game 2, and 2 for 5 with 1 run and 1 RBI in a 12-2 win in Game 3.
He is hitting .316 with 17 runs, 14 RBIs, 9 doubles, 1 home run this season for the 18-12 Patriots, ranked No. 11 in Mississippi by MaxPreps.
“Alex has been one of our catalyst all year,” said Lipscomb, who was an assistant for 16 seasons at MRA before replacing head coach Allen Pavatte, now the head of school at Manchester Academy. “He leads our team with 29 hits and second in doubles with nine (going into this week). I have never had a player who works so hard and puts in extra hours as he does. Alex has truly made himself into the player he is. Defensively, I would put him up against anyone. He has made so many wow plays this year that they now have become routine plays. In all my years of coaching, Alex is the best I have had the privilege to coach. We are just lucky to have him another year next year. He has taken his game to another level also by pouring into the younger players to the point that they want to stay and work with him.”
Lambert hit .311 with 6 runs, 10 RBIs, 1 double and 1 home run last season as a sophomore.
Lambert is the son of Andy and Suzanne Lambert. Andy played football at Jackson Academy. Suzanne was a member of the dance team at Madison St. Joseph. Lambert’s brother, Drew, set three school pitching records and was MAIS Class 6A first team all-conference at MRA and is a freshman baseball player at Jones County Junior College. Lambert’s grandfather, Phil Cranston, ran track and played football at Millsaps College and his other grandfather, A.C. “Butch” Lambert, Jr., played baseball at Ole Miss and was a longtime SEC football official and his great grandfather, A.C. “Butch” Lambert, Sr., was a longtime SEC football and basketball official and a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
Mississippi Scoreboard selects a baseball player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by text or call to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
WEEK ONE: Sawyer Bates, Canton Academy
WEEK TWO: JP Abt, Hartfield Academy
WEEK THREE: Garrett Gardner, MRA
WEEK FOUR: Gavin Parrow, Madison Central
WEEK FIVE: Tre McQueen, Brandon
