Lamar Sports information

BEAUMONT — Adding on to its already top-ranked recruiting class, Lamar University’s baseball team has officially signed JC Correa, the brother of Houston Astros phenom Carlos Correa, to its 2019 recruiting class. The younger Correa comes to Vincent-Beck Stadium after two seasons at Alvin Community College.

“We couldn’t be more excited about getting JC in the program,” said head coach Will Davis. “He fills an immediate need of coming in and being able to hit in the middle of our order. JC has put up numbers at Alvin for two years now and I love that he has more walks than strikeouts, showing that he is an advanced hitter. With such a young offense, surrounding our soon-to-be sophomores with a guy like JC will help take pressure off them as they mature as hitters.”

Jean Carlos Correa, who goes by JC, spent his high school years playing at the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, as did his brother before him. But unlike Carlos, JC chose a more gradual approach to achieving his pro baseball dreams. As detailed in a profile piece on the Correas by the Houston Chronicle, the tremendous success of Carlos with the Astros freed up JC to reach the major leagues at his own pace. That freedom led JC, or “Yankee” to his family, to Alvin Community College, where pro scouts and the elder Correa have become a common sight. Alvin head coach Jason Schreiber has been very happy to have JC around.

“[JC] has a professional approach to attacking the baseball that you don’t see much on a daily basis,” said Schreiber to the Houston Chronicle. “He can hit from line to line.”

The younger Correa has been phenomenal since joining the Dolphins for the 2016 season. The 5’ 11” infielder has hit .364 / .432 / .491 in 80 career games with 103 total hits, including 25 doubles, one triple, and three home runs for 59 RBIs. He has been walked 37 times so far with 33 strikeouts and has five stolen bases in six career attempts.

A big part of both Alvin Community College and Lamar University’s appeal to JC Correa is the proximity to his brother, who has been one of JC’s biggest supporters at Dolphins games and has played an integral role in his development. JC has even made the hour drive to Houston for one-on-one lessons from his brother several times.

“I spent a lot of time with him in the winter break. We would practice together,” JC said to the Beaumont Enterprise. “In the spring season, we would see each other on the weekend or I would go to Astros games. It’s a big reason why I picked Lamar.”

Schreiber told the Beaumont Enterprise that Carlos Correa returned the favor to JC, often showing up at Alvin to see his younger brother play.

With the potential to be drafted after the 2019 season, Correa is concerned with making an immediate impact for Big Red.

“I’m a good hitter, and I think I can put up good numbers with runners in scoring position,” Correa said. “Lamar offered me a good scholarship, showed me a lot of interest, so I’m very excited.”