James is back for another summer in East Texas after receiving All-TCL honors following the 2014 season. The speedy outfielder rode a .341 batting average over the last 22 games of the season to raise his average to .270 at summer’s end. He also ranked second in the TCL in stolen bases (32) and third in runs (34).
This spring at Southern Mississippi University, Lear played in nine games and collected a hit in three at bats. He walked, stole a base, and scored a run.
Before transferring to Southern Miss., Lear garnered second-team all-district honors as a sophomore at Northwest Mississippi Community College after hitting at a .340 clip with 22 RBI and 35 stolen bases. He also found his name on the first-team all-region and second-team all-district teams following his freshman season where he hit .320 with 16 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
In High School, Lear and the Oxford High School Chargers of Oxford, Miss., won district titles in 2011 and 2012. His .314 average as a junior and .382 average as a senior earned him all-district honors, and he and his varsity soccer club were also two-time district champions.
