Rhodes is next stop for Northwest's Brown

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March 17, 2010

Larry Fleming larryfleming@daltoncitizen.com The Dalton Daily Citizen Wed Mar 17, 2010, 11:41 PM EDT

Travel softball teams frequently play in “exposure” tournaments designed to give college coaches a first-hand look at top talent.

Those tournaments also provide players with golden opportunities to impress college coaches and earn roster spots. That’s exactly what happened to Northwest Whitfield’s Jessica Brown.

Brown, a catcher/first baseman, was playing with the Tennessee Raiders in a tournament at Chattanooga’s Warner Park when her coaches pointed her out to Rhodes College coach David Hicks.

Hicks watched Brown play and contacted her a few days after the tournament. Brown, who helped Northwest to a 21-15 record and a third-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament as a senior this past fall, made two visits to the campus in Memphis, Tenn., to check out the school and softball program.

On Wednesday, Brown announced her plans to attend Rhodes on an academic scholarship — she has a 4.0 grade-point average — and play softball for the Lynx, who are members of the NCAA Division III’s Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

“It’s a great school academically,” Brown said. “It’s a beautiful campus. I had never been to Memphis, but I love the city.”

Until her second visit to Rhodes, Brown was leaning toward Emory University in Atlanta. She had also considered Covenant College on Lookout Mountain and Union College in Barbourville, Ky.

Last year Rhodes had the most successful season in school history with a record 29 wins. The Lynx finished second to Depauw in the SCAC tournament and earned the team’s first berth in the NCAA tournament.

Going from Northwest’s highly successful program to Rhodes made Brown’s choice much easier, she said.

“That was definitely one of the things that sold me on Rhodes,” Brown said. “I’m super competitive and I want to win.”

At Rhodes, Hicks expects Brown to utilize her versatility and possibly gain early playing time by returning to her natural catching position. She caught at Northwest until her senior season, when coach Shane Ramsey moved her to first base.

“Jessica is very athletic,” Hicks said in a telephone interview from Florida. “She can play multiple positions. She can catch, play first base and the outfield and that will help us out.”

In her senior season, Brown batted .230 with three triples and three doubles among her 20 hits. She scored seven runs and had 11 RBIs.

“Jessica did a great job for us this year,” Ramsey said. “She solidified the right side of the infield. At the plate, she had some key hits in big games. She was one of three captains, along with Kayla Piorkowski and Casey Griffin. I think she will do a great job at Rhodes.”

Brown plans to major in biology and pursue a professional career as a pharmacist or orthopedic surgeon.

“I’ve wanted to be a pharmacist since the fifth grade, and I’ve been thinking a little about (being an) orthopedic surgeon for a while,” she said.

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Rhodes is next stop for Northwest's Brown

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