POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Jered Salazar never sought individual accolades, but his impact on Pearl River Community College baseball was impossible to ignore.
After helping lead the Wildcats to the program's first NJCAA World Series appearance in 2002, the pitcher will officially be inducted into the Pearl River Community College Athletics Hall of Fame, presented by Keith's Superstores, on July 31 at the Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast in Bay St. Louis.
Salazar joins a prestigious class that features football's Donald Bridges, softball's Judy Barber and men's basketball's Jimmy Cuyler. The 2026 Spirit of a Wildcat Award recipient is Robert "Scooter" Parris. PRCC will also recognize the 2005 MACJC champion football team and the 2005 women's soccer team.
"I was kind of speechless at the time," Salazar said. "I didn't really expect it, but I am truly honored and humbled to be selected into something as special as this."
BECOMING A WILDCAT
Salazar's journey to Poplarville wasn't traditional. Out of high school, he was receiving four-year interest, but after meeting Jay Artigues — then the head coach at Bossier Parrish — Salazar chose the junior college.
After a season full of success for Salazar and Artigues at Bossier Parrish, Artigues was named the head coach at his alma mater, Pearl River. Salazar didn't even need to take a visit to Poplarville before deciding to follow him and become a Wildcat.
"When he told me he wanted to go, I told him yes without even stepping foot on campus," Salazar said. "Coach Artigues got the most out of every player. Whatever your ceiling was, he was going to get it out of you."
When Salazar arrived at Pearl River, he immediately knew something was different about the team preparing for the 2002 season.
"It was a special group of guys. They were just dogs," he said. "Everyone on that team had a certain intensity and focus. No one let anything slide."
The 2002 Wildcats cruised through the regular season but faced a wake-up call with a loss in the conference tournament. Rather than panic, the team rallied, winning the regional tournament on its home field before earning the program's first-ever berth to the NJCAA World Series in Millington, Tennessee.
"Any time you can do something that has never been done before at a school, it's special," Salazar said. "I think what we did that year really helped springboard a lot of the success of that program."
PLAYSTYLE
While the 2002 Wildcats featured talent across the board — including Pearl River Hall of Famers Eric Adkins and Jake Smith — Salazar's individual numbers were just as impressive. He threw 114 innings, a mark that still stands as the second-most in a single season in program history, while striking out 94 batters and serving as the workhorse atop the Wildcats' rotation throughout their historic run.
"My biggest thing was being able to throw strikes, keep my pitch count down and allow my defense to play," Salazar said. "Work fast, keep your defense in it, and give your team a chance to win. I just loved pitching, so it was tough to get me out of a game."
Salazar wasn't an overpowering pitcher, sitting in the upper 80s and touching 90 mph, but he could throw four pitches in any count. His ability to change speeds and keep hitters off balance made him one of the MACJC's toughest pitchers to solve. He relied heavily on a devastating changeup that he had mastered when he was just 11 years old.
"The changeup was, without a doubt, my bread and butter," he said. "If I got behind in a count, I could throw a 2-0 changeup or a 3-1 changeup to get an out."
Despite the grueling battles against rivals like Gulf Coast and Jones, Salazar's favorite memories of Poplarville took place away from the diamond.
"I tell people that year I got to spend in Poplarville was probably the most fun year I've had," Salazar laughed. "Teammates like Jared and Justin Harris had land around there with a bunch of ponds. As soon as practice or a game was over, we were heading to one of the ponds with fishing poles in the back of the truck."
AFTER THE RIVER
Following his standout season at Pearl River, Salazar signed with LSU but ultimately landed at Louisiana, where he played for legendary head coach Tony Robichaux.
"God puts us in places we need to be," Salazar reflected. "Wearing purple and gold was not in the cards, but being able to play for Coach Robichaux at UL was truly a blessing."
Today, Salazar lives in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, where he works in sales for Coca-Cola Bottling. His athletic passion has shifted to supporting his 15-year-old son, an avid golfer.
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