By Robert Wilson

       Jay McQueen is considered one of the most versatile high school athletes in Mississippi. The Southern Miss baseball commitment is a dynamite outfielder and an explosive wide receiver in football.

       The Brandon junior showed his versatility in another area – on the mound – and helped the Bulldogs get a sweep over Ocean Springs in the MHSAA Class 7A best of three series in the state quarterfinals.

       McQueen did his usual solid hitting – batting .500 (4 of 8) with 4 runs scored, 1 triple, 3 walks and 2 stolen bases – but also had pitching win, allowing only 1 hit with 5 strikeouts in 3 innings in the two victories.

       For his outstanding performance, McQueen has been named the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Baseball Player of the Week.

       “Jay had a big week for us against Ocean Springs,” Brandon coach Daniel Best said. “He had an RBI triple in Game 1 along with two runs scored and a stolen base. In Game 2, Jay had three walks with two runs and a stolen base. On the mound in relief, he picked up the win in three innings and only gave us one hit and had five strikeouts. Jay is a leader on and off the field. He is fun to coach and even more fun to watch play the game.”

       McQueen leads the team with a .350 batting average, 35 hits, 29 runs and 15 stolen bases and has 3 doubles, 2 triples, and 19 RBIs this season going into this week.

       He hit .394 with a team-high 12 stolen bases and had a .487 on base percentage, second highest on the team, and didn’t make an error all season last year as a sophomore. McQueen was one of two sophomores on the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Baseball Team last spring.

       The 6-foot-3, 190-pound McQueen caught 35 passes for 650 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season as a junior and helped Brandon to a 10-3 record. He caught five TD passes – one short of the Mississippi record – and and eight catches for 158 yards in a 42-20 victory over Rankin County Pearl. McQueen played backup quarterback as a sophomore. 

       McQueen is the son of Ze and Kristi McQueen. Ze is his third year as an assistant baseball coach at Brandon. He played football, basketball, and baseball at Carthage High, played baseball at East Central Community College and was drafted by the New York Mets and played five years of minor league baseball. Kristi played basketball at Choctaw Central High. The McQueens have three boys, Jay, Tre, a freshman football and baseball player at Brandon, and Jadevion, a fifth grader who plays baseball.

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: Drew Harrison, Germantown
Week Two: Konnor Griffin, Jackson Prep

Week Three: Parker Ishee, Ridgeland
Week Four: Peyton Puckett, Jackson Prep

Week Five: Chase Russell, Madison Central

Week Six: Deuce Jenkins, Northwest Rankin

Week Seven: Konnor Griffin, Jackson Prep

Week Eight: Aiden Swales, Pisgah