The University of Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Signs Holmes Community College's Xan Barksdale
5/22/2002 | Baseball
May 22, 2002
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss signed Holmes Community College catcher Xan Barksdale to a national letter of intent to play baseball for the Rebels, Head Coach Mike Bianco announced Wednesday. Barksdale will be eligible for Ole Miss beginning with the 2002-2003 academic year.
Barksdale, 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, helped Holmes to a 34-16 record this past season and earned first team All-State and All-Region honors, after posting a .360 batting average with 15 home runs and 45 runs batted in. He was also named to the State All-Tournament team.
As a freshman in 2001, he hit .370 with six homers and 42 RBIs to earn second team All-State honors for Holmes.
"We're excited about having Xan join our program," said Bianco. "He's had a terrific junior college career, and will add depth to our catching position."
Barksdale, from Madison, Miss., prepped at Madison-Ridgeland Academy. He was an All-Conference selection and an MPSA All-Star as a senior when he posted a .400 batting average with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs.
Ole Miss concluded its regular season last weekend with a 37-19 record, including a 14-16 mark in the SEC. The Rebels finished a half-game behind Arkansas for the eighth and final spot to the SEC Tournament, which started Wednesday. However, the Rebels are still eligible to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The field of 64 will be announced Monday at 11:30 a.m., on ESPN2.
