{"id":138883,"date":"2024-04-29T14:09:37","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T19:09:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=138883"},"modified":"2024-04-29T14:09:41","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T19:09:41","slug":"pitching-it-forward-former-ole-miss-rebel-makes-major-gift-to-support-of-athletics-facilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/pitching-it-forward-former-ole-miss-rebel-makes-major-gift-to-support-of-athletics-facilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Pitching It Forward: Former Ole Miss Rebel Makes Major Gift to Support of Athletics Facilities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Former pro baseball player Jamey Price<\/strong> was in peak physical condition while pitching for the Ole Miss Rebels<\/strong> \u2013 a testament he credits to the health, strength and wellness coaching he received at the University of Mississippi<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He hopes his recent $125,000 gift to the Ole Miss athletics department will help make similar benefits available to student-athletes for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was not healthy before I got to Ole Miss and was not healthy very long after I left Ole Miss,” Price said. “That’s what stands out to me: the people who were there were instrumental in helping me get healthy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price, a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas<\/strong>, came to UM from Texarkana Junior College<\/strong> in the fall of 1993 and helped lead the Rebels to within one game of the College World Series<\/strong>. His gift goes to CHAMPIONS. NOW.<\/strong>, the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation<\/strong>‘s campaign to improve facilities for student-athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“As we continue to make former student-athlete engagement and giving a top priority at OMAF, this incredible gift from the Price family reconfirms\u00a0that mission,”\u00a0said Denson Hollis<\/strong>, the foundation’s CEO.\u00a0“Our student-athletes, current and former, are why we do what we do and we are so thankful to the entire Price family for their trust and belief in our work and progress.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before enrolling at Ole Miss, Price was drafted by the Chicago Cubs<\/strong> in the 10th round of the MLB June Amateur Draft but chose to continue at the collegiate level because of a nagging shoulder injury. Though he had a better scholarship to the University of Arkansas<\/strong> at the time, he chose Ole Miss for the opportunity to play for coach Don Kessinger<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He was a 17-year big leaguer with the Cubs, so we had that connection of being drafted by the same team,” Price recalled. “Everything just kind of fell into place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Looking back, I wonder if my career would have been different if I’d gone straight into pro ball instead of college. But the University of Mississippi was better to me than I ever dreamed it would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Graduating college was something I never dreamed I would do because I wasn’t a top student. I hated school but I never missed class. I made it a point to show my face in those classes and did what I had to do to stay on the field.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kessinger remembers Price well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Jamey is one of our former athletes that everyone should know about,” he said. “He was our No. 1 pitcher who went to the mound every Friday night and won most of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Jamey was a great pitcher, teammate and person. He now has a wonderful Christian family, and the Kessinger family is blessed to call them friends.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price\u00a0<\/strong>was a tough pitcher to face, ending his Ole Miss career with 21 wins, a 2.22 earned-run average and 189 strikeouts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a junior, Price was impressive, posting a 9-1 record after an 8-0 start that tied a 36-year-old record for best start for an Ole Miss pitcher. His 2.78 ERA for the season was seventh in the SEC, while he had the third-best record and second-best winning percentage in the conference for the year. He also held opponents to a .195 batting average, the best in the league for the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“After my junior year, I really felt like I could compete and then got a little bit stronger and just took a different mindset overall,” Price said. “You know, there’s just not an option to lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“My wife and I carry that into the different businesses that we run now. We don’t wake up wondering if we are going to win the battle today; we have to win it. We’ve got to do everything we can do to stay successful in business and marriage and parenting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You get one chance at this, and attitude determines where you go.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his senior season, he earned All-SEC and All-America honors as he posted an 11-6 mark for the Rebels with a 1.72 ERA. He also set the single-season strikeout record with 118 strikeouts in 141 innings of work. He also was named to the Smith Super Team, also known as the National Collegiate All-Star Team, as selected by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following his senior campaign, Price was drafted by the Oakland A’s<\/strong> in the sixth round and pitched professionally in the team’s farm system until he retired from baseball in 1998.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price is married to the former Michelle Roberts<\/strong> of Pine Bluff, a 1996 Ole Miss graduate. The couple farms 10,000 acres in White Hall, Arkansas<\/strong>, and owns several businesses, including a duck and deer hunting operation. Jamey Price also works as a general contractor, buying, and building real estate in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prices have three children: UM graduate Katelyn<\/strong>, a teacher in the Lafayette County<\/strong> school system; Madelyn<\/strong>, an Ole Miss senior; and Ashlyn<\/strong>, a UM freshman and a Diamond Girl for the baseball team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2005, Price was named to the M-Club Hall of Fame<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His memories from Ole Miss include things he took for granted at the time: “the bus rides, the four-hour practices, the 6 a.m. weight room training \u2013 the things you’d give anything to go back and be able to do,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There are so many things that stood out besides the personal accolades. Those mean nothing without being part of a good team.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Bill Dabney<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jamey Price pitches for the Rebels during his time at Ole Miss. Submitted photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
James Price<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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