By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
Former Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks baseball coach Jim Morrill has made quick resurrection of the Calhoun Community College program in his first season at the helm.
Morrill's Calhoun team has put together a 33-6 overall record, 11-2 and first place in the Alabama Community College Conference north division, and a 15th place spot in the national rankings.
While those are all impressive marks, what makes the accomplishment even more remarkable is this time a year ago Calhoun did not even have a team.
Morrill coached three seasons at JDCC where he compiled a 91-71 record. That included a 41-16 record last season when he guided the Warhawks to the ACCC south championship. Morrill was released when JDCC combined the baseball job with a teaching position.
Morrill was hired at Calhoun to resurrect a program that had been idle for five years. Calhoun had fielded several competitive teams and some great individual players prior to its shutdown. One of those players is current New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada.
Part of JDCC's roster followed Morrill to Calhoun. That list includes centerfielder R.J. Thompson, who is hitting .391 this season, and third baseman Carl Gibbs, who is hitting .356. Pitcher Nick Porter, who is 2-2, also transferred from JDCC to Calhoun.
Another former JDCC figure who went with Morrill to Calhoun was assistant coach Jamey Woods.
While some individuals have followed Morrill from his former post, the Calhoun coach said most of his roster has come from the north part of Alabama.
Morrill said much of Calhoun's success this season has been due to its potent hitting attack.