CLEVELAND – As a catcher for the defending NCAA Division II National Champions, it’s Craig Newton’s job to make sure all the bases are covered.

The fifth-year senior at Delta State also has his future plans covered. While he would love to play at the pro level he readily knows that he may lack the physique fitting a big league catcher. Newton’s game, however, has never been about show, but heart.

“Everybody asks, ‘how can he be a catcher? He’s awfully small,'” Newton said. “It’s always been my dream to play pro baseball. Even if I was the last pick, I’d go.

“Baseball is my heart. I think about it all the time. Even about practice. If it happens, it happens and it’ll be in God’s hands. But if I don’t, I’ve already got a job lined up in Birmingham.”

Newton completed his undergraduate work, earning a bachelors degree in business. He spent this past spring semester working toward an MBA in business management. He has already been offered a job with Block USA.

Newton’s all-round athletic and academic pursuits led him to an induction into the Delta State Student Hall of Fame last week.

Newton also continued to excel on the field, a year after helping lead the Statesmen to their first-ever Division II World Series title following a 12-8 win over Grand Valley State (Mich.), in Montgomery, Ala.

On Monday, he was named by the Gulf South Conference as the West Division Player of the Year. He was also tabbed as a finalist for the Cellular South Ferriss Trophy, an award given to the best collegiate baseball player in Mississippi. He leads the third-ranked Statesmen with a .358 batting average, which includes 13 home runs, and a team-best 66 RBIs.

Since DSU’s home field is also named after Dave “Boo” Ferriss, winning the Ferriss award would top an amazing career.

The Statesmen’s top two pitchers, Rusty Rayborn and Brad Lightsey, said Newton is deserving of the honor.

“Craig is a great guy behind the plate. He’s great at calling games and he shows a lot of leadership,” said Rayborn, who is 9-0 and owns a 1.29 earned run average this season.

Lightsey (12-1) agrees.

“He makes good calls and really works hard behind the plate. He’s always pumping you up. As our catcher, he takes control of the game.”

For Newton, his desire to excel was evident when he helped turn around the Warren Central baseball program under then coach Sam Temple.

“A lot of my toughness comes from my parents. That’s my foundation,” Newton said.

When he was searching for a program to play for, Delta State was recommended to him by both Temple, who played at Delta State, and current WC coach Randy Broome. In nine seasons, DSU head coach Mike Kinnison has become the winningiest coach in NCAA Division II baseball.

“I know what you mean about that (winning) image under Coach Kinnison,” Newton said. “But I really think both Sam Temple and Randy Broome prepared me for what it would be like up here.

“You see so many Warren Central guys doing well. There are a lot of good players coming out of Vicksburg. I just wanted to represent Vicksburg well.”

As a senior, Newton played on the same WC team as Ole Miss slugger Brian Pettway, Southern Miss catcher Kevin Coker and last year’s first pick by the Florida Marlins, Taylor Tankersley. His brother Bo played sparingly at DSU before moving to Mississippi College.

“We all played together during that time,” Craig Newton said. “We’ve been playing together forever in summer league and then we all went up to Warren Central. “In my senior year, I don’t think you’d find a better pitching combination, especially 5A, than what we had at WC. We had Tank at No. 1 and it’s obvious how good he is because he’s now with the Marlins (organization).

“Then there was Bo and Brian. All three could throw in the upper 80s and low 90s. And all three were bulldogs on the mound. Very competitive.

“Brian was our best hitter and he should be the next one to get drafted,” Newton said of Pettway, who leads the Southeastern Conference with 88 hits, and leads the Rebels with 17 home runs.

Then there is Coker, who has a special place in Newton’s heart.

“I love that guy. His heart is as big as anybody I’ve known,” he said. “We talk on a regular basis. About catching, about baseball.

“They say all throughout high school that he was my understudy; that I was his motivation. But really, I was the one who was studying him,” Newton said.

Coker started only one season of baseball at WC, and that came after Newton had graduated. He has worked himself into the starting catching job at Southern Miss.

As for Newton, he said he has no regrets, coming to Cleveland.

“I felt Delta State was the best fit for me. Bo and I were here at the same time until he got hurt. Coach Temple and coach Broome told me how great it would be to play here,” he said. “You win here. And I’m all about that, because I hate losing.”

Newton will get a couple more chances to take up residency behind home plate at Ferriss Field. The Statesmen will be hosting the NCAA Division II South Central Regional. DSU opens play tonight at 7 against West Alabama (45-17).

“Cleveland is a one-of-a-kind place,” Newton said. “The whole town looks up to us. When we won the World Series last year, the whole fire and police departments were there to escort us to campus.”