Ole Miss baseball players signing contracts

[rebelduckaholic]

Maloney, Fowler sign with respective pro teams; Pettway close to signing; Holliman, Head, Cupps still negotiating with clubs
John Davis
Assistant Sports Editor

Ole Miss had eight players picked earlier this month in the Major League Draft including six juniors. Two of the juniors – left-handed pitchers Eric Fowler and Matt Maloney – have already signed and will not be back for their senior years.

The other juniors taken in the draft include first baseman/left-hander Stephen Head, right-hander Mark Holliman, outfielder Brian Pettway and right-hander Anthony Cupps.

Head was taken in the second round by the Cleveland Indians, Holliman was the No. 100 pick overall by the Chicago Cubs, Pettway went in the third round to the Toronto Blue Jays and Cupps went in the seventh round to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Pettway's deal almost done

None of the four had signed as of Tuesday morning, but Pettway was on his way to Toronto and expected to sign a deal so that he could begin playing as early as Thursday for the Auburn Doubledays, the Class A club that plays in the New York-Penn League and the team that Fowler is already playing for.


Fowler gets first victory

Fowler, who was taken in the fifth round, earned the Doubledays’ first home win of the season in relief this past Saturday.

Pettway was the only player taken in the first 10 rounds not to have signed with the Blue Jays organization, which drafted former Cal State-Fullerton pitcher Ricky Romero in the first round.

“It’s pretty much a done deal,” Pettway said Monday about signing with the Blue Jays. “They want me to start playing as soon as possible and sign a minor league contract first. After that, if I can get up to other leagues, I would get a major league contract.”

Having a good relationship with Fowler is also a plus for Pettway.

“If you’re up there by yourself and don’t know anybody, it could be terrible,” said Pettway, who hit .383 with 21 home runs and 67 RBIs for the Rebels this past year. “It would make it easier to be up there with one of your teammates and knowing about the place you’re going to live.”

The Doubledays won the 2004 Pickney Division Championship and are 2-5 on a season that extends into early September.

Holliman, who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs out of Germantown High School, said that he was still negotiating with the team and that things were going well. There is no timetable as to when he thought he would or wouldn’t sign.

“I really have no idea how long it will take, but things are still going all right,” said Holliman, who was 8-4 with a 3.20 ERA and 120 strikeouts this season. “I did a little (negotiating) after high school but it was very minimal.”

Maloney important to Phillies

Maloney was taken in the third round by the Philadelphia Phillies and was the first pitcher taken by the club, who made Coastal Carolina third baseman Mike Costanzo their top pick in the draft.

Maloney finished his junior season with a 8-3 record, four saves and a 3.11 ERA. He also finished with 111 strikeouts in 104.1 innings of work.

Head hit .331 with 18 homers and 68 RBIs this past year while Cupps was 9-3 with a 5.01 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 71.1 innings of work. Neither of them returned phone calls to answer questions about their contract status.

[Greenhead22]

Add Holliman and Head to the list.

[rebelduckaholic]

Did they sign today? Do you know about Pettway

[Greenhead22]

Pettway is in Toronto now, should sign by tomorrow.