Following in the footsteps of two senior teammates – Conner Hicks and Andrew Nix – Cayleb Dyess will extend his baseball career beyond the high school level. The Stringer infielder signed with Meridian Community College Tuesday morning inside Stringer High School’s Gymnasium.
Hicks and Nix signed with East Central Community College and Jones College, respectively, before the 2019 season.
“I worked hard [to get here],” said Dyess. “The offers didn’t come for me early on. Towards the end of the season though they started to come in. I feel accomplished now that all the hard work has paid off. I’m excited. This has been a dream come true to play at the next level.”
Together with his teammates, Dyess, Hicks, and Nix led Stringer to the MHSAA Class 1A Championship series. Finishing the 2019 season 25-12, Stringer fell two games short of the capturing the school’s first baseball title since 1996. Smithville, led by Mississippi State commit Jared Johnson, defeated the Red Devils in a two-game sweep, 4-2 and 1-0. Dyess batted .348 with 46 hits (14 doubles, one triple, and three home runs) in 132 at bats. Two of Dyess’ home runs came in Game 1 of the 1A South State series vs. Hamilton. Stringer went on to win the run-rule shortened decision, 11-1. He tied for second in RBI with 35.
“It feels great as a coach to see a third guy in a class, especially for a small 1A school like Stringer, to move on and play at the next level,” said Stringer head coach Wade Weathers. “I’m proud of Cayleb. Meridian CC is a good baseball school. He didn’t sign early, but for him to persevere all year and keep getting better and better and finally get that opportunity is a testament to him.”
Weathers began his college baseball career at Meridian Community College before moving on to Southern Miss. During his sophomore season at Meridian, Weathers was 11-1 on the mound with 88 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA in 66 innings pitched. Weathers said it’s special to see Dyess get an opportunity to play at the school he once played for.
“I’m happy for all my guys [that sign to play at the next level], but obviously it’s a little special when someone goes and plays somewhere where you once played. I enjoyed my two years there, and it helped propel me to be able to extend my career. I feel like with Cayleb’s work ethic; it could be the same for him. Meridian has a rich baseball tradition and history. I’m just excited to see him continue that.”
Dyess entertained other offers. Meridian, though, as the Stringer standout said, “felt like home.”
“I had an offer from Coahoma,” said Dyess, “but when I stepped on Meridian’s campus, I knew that was home. I loved the coaches and baseball facilities. It’s always been a place I wanted to go, so when I stepped on campus, I knew.
“I’ll get the opportunity to play somewhere in the infield. Third base, shortstop, second base, I don’t care where I play. I just want to play.”
As with most seniors, leadership is where Dyess impacted Stringer the most – on and off the field. Weathers recalls one such game in particular.
“It was his overall leadership capability that he possessed,” said Weathers. “It didn’t matter what type of game he was having; he made everyone else around him better. I remember a particular game where he worked with one of our guys at the bottom of our order beforehand. And the guy at the bottom of the order got all the RBI that night to help us win the game. It was because of Cayleb. It’s that type of selfless leadership is hard to find, but when you find it, you typically have good teams because of it.”
“Our guys just had fun playing,” Dyess added. “It was a brotherhood. You always have teams that talk about brotherhood, but ours really was. We all cared about each other, and that made it fun to play. I think that’s what helped us get so far. We just got out there, relaxed, and had some fun.”
