LORMAN &045; If you’re looking for Alcorn second baseman Corey Wimberly, here are some clues.

In the mornings he’s in class. Then it’s to the field at 11 a.m. with teammates Kenneth Bethea and Derrell Tidwell, break for lunch and back to the field to keep working for the remainder of the evening.

Or he could be in the weight room. You could also find him sitting on first on his way to second base, too.

Opposing coaches, at least, are keeping tabs on the first-year second baseman who is been a huge bright spot on a team that’s had its share of struggles this season. Wimberly, a 5-8 Jacksonville, Fla., native, has developed into a spark plug at the leadoff spot for the Braves and is leading the team in seven different categories heading into this weekend’s series against Mississippi Valley State.

And just like he’s done for most of his life, Wimberly is turning a season that’s had plenty of negatives into a positive.

&uot;We’re very proud of the young man,&uot; Alcorn head coach Willie &uot;Rat&uot; McGowan said. &uot;All he’s going to do is get better. The reason why is he works so hard and loves the game. You go by that diamond, and you might see him in the cage or running down ground balls. He’ll be doing something.

&uot;Everybody we play knows about Corey. They say the only player that worries them a whole lot from our ball club is Corey. If he keeps going like he’s going, he can go to another level.&uot;

So far this season Wimberly has quietly produced and made himself a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. His .441 batting average is second in the conference, and his 31 stolen bases and 35 attempts are both second in the conference.

The batting average is 14th-best in the nation.

&uot;It comes from hard work &045; hard work and dedication,&uot; Wimberly said. &uot;I basically work hard all spring and fall, and I really think it’s paying off. I had to make the adjustments. At the beginning of the season I was hitting second, and then he moved me up. I had to start being more selective.&uot;

There are other issues the coaching staff is working with him, and fortunately Wimberly’s positive approach to the game makes him very coachable. A sophomore who sat out last season as a partial qualifier, Wimberly has made the move to second base after playing shortstop in high school.

&uot;He’s always been greased lightning, but he’s strong for a guy his size,&uot; Alcorn graduate assistant Marqus Johnson said. &uot;As he matures, he’ll hit some balls in the gaps. He has the strength now. It’s all in the approach.&uot;

Wimberly will surely be a big factor this weekend when the Braves face Valley for two Saturday and Itta Bena and two more Sunday at Lorman. The Braves (10-14, 13-19) had their postseason hopes dimmered last weekend with a split at Alabama A&M, and right now Valley (18-7) and Jackson State (13-7) are in first in the East.

Only the top two teams will go to the SWAC tournament, and the Braves have only a four-game set with Jackson remaining after this weekend.

&uot;We keep hanging, hanging, hanging,&uot; McGowan said. &uot;The door has been open for us. We just haven’t been able to go in and close it.&uot;

Bad break

Johnson did not hear much of Wimberly while he starred in the infield for Jean Ribault. In fact, Johnson &045; an assistant at Morris Brown at the time &045; attended a Ribault game to look at another player but a little 11th-grader at shortstop &uot;go up and make great plays like it was routine.&uot;

Wimberly had interest from Florida A&M, Norfolk State, Alcorn and Bethune-Cookman. But when he broke his left wrist halfway through his senior year, the offers suddenly vanished &045; except McGowan’s.

&uot;My high school coach (Kirby Marshall) is pretty good friends with Coach McGowan,&uot; Wimberly said. &uot;I was supposed to go to Norfolk State, but something happened. Coach McGowan, he was really the only coach who stuck with me and believed in me. I’m glad he did.&uot;

But something positive happened to Wimberly after the injury &045; he learned to switch-hit.

And when you get a speedy guy blazing out of the batter’s box, he can be more of a threat when he’s coming out from the left side of the plate.

&uot;It was a pretty big adjustment,&uot; Wimberly said. &uot;I used to play around with it, but I never got serious with it until I broke my wrist. I’m glad I made the decision. I still get fooled on outside pitches (hitting lefty) because I’m used to hitting on my right side.&uot;

He came to Alcorn as a switch-hitter, but McGowan had other plans for the infield. With 5-10 senior Sylvester McClain at shortstop, Wimberly moved to second base &045; a tough call for someone who always played shortstop.

&uot;I want somebody at shortstop with a little height to be able to get those line drives,&uot; McGowan said. &uot;He’s got the arm (for shortstop), but I didn’t like the way he threw from shortstop in the hole. From second base the throw is shorter, and it can give him some confidence.&uot;

That’s fine with Wimberly, who can use the adjustment to keep pushing himself. If it’s the height factor that’s keeping him from playing it, that’s perfectly fine &045; because there’s more to baseball than one’s height.

&uot;A lot of people overlooked me because of my height,&uot; he said. &uot;A lot of people want those 6-1 (Alfonso) Soriano-type shortstops. But it’s really not about the size. It’s about the size of the heart.&uot;

A quick learner

Just two games into the season McGowan bumped Wimberly into the leadoff spot, and the move has paid off ever since. He’s leading the team in at-bats (111), runs (41), hits (49), total bases (56), walks (17, tied with McClain) and stolen bases.

Wimberly got three hits, scored two runs and stole a base in his ASU debut.

&uot;The speed is God-given talent,&uot; McGowan said. &uot;He’s got that, and he’s so quick with it. I feel if he hits the ball on the ground and the infielder has to move to his right or left, he’ll beat that out. When I saw that, I thought we had a diamond in the rough.&uot;

There’s still things to learn, Johnson noted, like the best opportunities to steal a base and things like that. But the biggest work in progress is his defense, particularly since it’s his first season at second base.

Wimberly is second behind McClain in errors with 13. McClain’s 17 errors leads the team.

&uot;I’m still making the adjustment,&uot; Wimberly said. &uot;It’s my first time playing second base my whole life. The biggest difference is turning two from that other side. From shortstop, you’re moving that way. From second base, you’ve got to turn and throw.&uot;

Fortunately for Wimberly, it’s all correctable flaws. Coaches like his arm and his work ethic.

If he sticks to his current routine, he will learn that and then some. Wimberly noted he gets most of his baseball skills from his dad, Corker, who lives in Tallahassee and has come to a handful of games.

He also keeps working with the goal of playing at the next level in mind, one of the reasons he was glad to come to Alcorn.

&uot;I learned a lot of my game from my dad,&uot; Wimberly said. &uot;He worked with me a lot, but I really put my faith in God and trust God. I think you can (signed) from anywhere. But coming from a historically black college, you have to work harder. I think that’s going to make me work harder.&uot;