But the former Augusta Christian player is unimpressed with his mound success. Ask him about what happened at the plate this weekend, and his eyes grow big as baseballs.

"I got turned into a pitcher my sophomore year in college and I haven't been able to hit in a year," said Reed, whose Dodgers defeated the Atlanta Cubs 19-1 in eight innings Sunday in the bronze medal game at Augusta State University. "So, it's lots of fun to be able to come out here and hit and produce the way I've been doing."

In four games this weekend, Reed produced in a big way. The 21-year-old Augustan went 8-for-12 with three home runs, as the Dodgers finished 3-1 for the championships.

The local team, based in Edgefield, S.C., was knocked out of gold-medal contention Saturday with a 6-2 loss to the Georgia Cherokees.

"It was disappointing to lose that game and not have a chance at the gold, but overall, I'm happy," Bettis coach Roosevelt Scott said. "I'm definitely happy with Reed. He had a heck of a tournament."

With Augusta Christian, Reed was a shortstop and pitcher on the 1999 team that won the Georgia Independent Schools Association state championship. After graduating high school in 2000, Reed headed to Middle Georgia College.

Reed played shortstop his freshman season, but the Middle Georgia coaching staff thought he had even more potential as a pitcher. They shifted him to the mound for his sophomore season.

"I threw 85-86 in high school, but never thought I had a future in pitching in college," Reed said. "But I couldn't perform at the college level at shortstop, but I could as a pitcher."

This past season, Reed's fastball was clocked as high as 92 mph. That opened the door to a spot on the pitching staff with Division II powerhouse Kennesaw State next season.

"I'd love to get drafted, but I know I'm getting an education," Reed said. "I'm pretty excited about the chance to pitch there next year."

Reed was one of several local players who led the Dodgers to the third-place finish. Former Strom Thurmond High School star Nick Wates, a rising senior at Anderson (S.C.) College, tossed a three-hit shutout in a 4-0 victory over the Atlanta GreenJackets on Sunday.

"A lot of our guys did well, but I'd have to give Reed the MVP," Scott said. "He won the first game for us and hit the ball well."

Reach Rob Mueller at (706) 823-3425.