By Robert Wilson
Second-year Germantown High coach Chris Peden has been coaching for 22 years, but he hasn’t seen an individual performance like the one he saw last week.
Germantown senior right-hander and Tulane signee Drew Harrison threw a no-hitter with nine strikeouts and one walk and hit the game-winning home run in a 1-0 victory over Madison County rival Madison Central last Tuesday in a MHSAA Class 7A, Region 2 game at Germantown in Gluckstadt.
For his outstanding performance, Harrison has been named the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Baseball Player of the Week.
“Drew was the best performance I have seen from an individual player in 22 years of coaching,” said Peden, who was an assistant at Seminary (three years), Sumrall (one year) and Madison Central (eight years), and head coach at Magee (one year), Mendenhall (one year) and Ridgeland (six years) before coming to Germantown. “He dominated from the first pitch and only gave up the one baserunner with a walk, the home run was the difference.”
Harrison retired the first 11 batters before allowing a walk on a 3-2 count, then retired the remaining 10 batters to complete the near perfect game. He hit his home run on the first pitch of the fourth inning.
Harrison – a member of the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Preseason Elite 11 Team – has a 2-1 record with a 0.67 earned run average, with 22 strikeouts and only 3 walks in 20 1/3 innings this season coming into this week. Harrison, who plays third base, shortstop and outfield when he doesn’t pitch, has a .353 batting average with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs,16 runs scored and 7 runs batted in and 8 stolen bases.
“Drew is the guy who always wants the ball or be in the box with the game on the line,” Peden said. “He never lets the moment get to him. He is always so even with his demeanor. He never gets too high or too low.”
Harrison had a .413 batting average with 32 runs, 29 RBIs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and had a 4-3 record and 2 saves with 2.71 ERA and 60 strikeouts and 22 walks in 51 2/3 innings and helped Germantown to a 26-9 record and a MHSAA Class 6A semifinal finish last season as a junior.
Harrison was a second team All-Metro Jackson selection last season.
Harrison is the son of Emily and Tyler Harrison. Emily was a cheerleader at West Monroe, La., High and graduated from Louisiana-Monroe in occupational therapy. Tyler played baseball at Neville, La., High, Bossier Parish Community College and Delta State. Harrison’s sister, Alyssa, is a cheerleader at Germantown. Harrison’s aunt, Lisa Smith Allen, played tennis at Northwestern (La.) State and uncle, Steve Smith, played baseball at Northwestern (La.) State.
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.
