A mainstay on the Miami Trace Panthers varsity baseball team the past two seasons, 2015 graduate Derrick Marcum has signed to continue his education and his baseball career at Clark State Community College.
“I didn’t really know if I was going to play (in college) until I was named First Team, All-District,” Marcum said. “When I got All-District, my coach (Miami Trace head baseball coach Rob Smith), said he thought I could go play somewhere.
“(Smith) shows a lot of heart,” Marcum said. “He’s honestly the best coach I think I’ve ever had. He believes in all of his kids and he pushes them to their limits.
“I got a call to be an alternate in the All-Ohio Mizuno game,” Marcum said. “Once I got that call, I got a call from the Clark State head coach (Cliff Foght). I was also interested in Mount Vernon, Rio Grande and Capital, too.
“I wanted to stay closer to home (Clark State is located in Springfield, Ohio), so my parents could make it to some of the games,” Marcum said. “So it wouldn’t be such a drive for them to see me play.”
It’s just a little more than a half-hour drive from home to Clark State, Marcum noted.
“I really enjoyed playing baseball at Miami Trace,” Marcum said. “I would not have been able to do this (play for Clark State) without coach Smith. He was telling me I could go play somewhere, but, I really didn’t believe it until I got the call.
“One of my biggest memories (from last season) was the game at Wilmington,” Marcum said. “Myself and Brad Warnock scored on a single by Skylar McDonald. That win (2-0) clinched at least a share of the SCOL for us. It ended up being a three-way tie between us, Court House and Clinton-Massie.”
After playing catcher for Miami Trace, Marcum will not be the No. 1 catcher at Clark State.
“The coach told me my main positions are going to be middle infield,” Marcum said. “I am going to catch some games, also. There is a kid from Indiana coming to catch. I would rather be a middle infielder. I played third, second and shortstop in high school, as well as catcher. I can play anywhere, except pitcher.”
In the classroom at Miami Trace, a couple of Marcum’s favorite subjects were psychology and sociology.
“I also liked coach (Brent) Noes’ American history class,” Marcum said.
“In college, I’m going to be studying criminal justice law enforcement,” Marcum said. “I would like to come back to Court House and be a policeman for a couple of years, get some experience under my belt. Then, maybe go to the State Highway Patrol.”
Marcum reports to Clark State on Aug. 10 for practice for fall baseball. Classes start on Aug. 24.
Marcum is the son of Larry and Crissy Marcum. He has an older sister, Larissa.
