Zachary Bird, a 2012 graduate of Murrah High School has signed to play in the major leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers. A right-handed pitcher, Bird completed the season with a 5-4 record and a 3.14 ERA. He had 78 strikeouts and played in 48 innings. He is credited with helping to lead the Murrah team to their first playoff spot in six years.
The 296th pick in the ninth round of the 2012 draft, he is the highest draft pick from a JPS high school in the last ten years. Provine grad Todd Johnson was drafted in round 27 as the 803rd pick by the Florida Marlins in 2003, and Clinton Johnson, a Murrah graduate, was the 888th pick in the 30th round, drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2002.
Bird graduated as a top ten scholar from Murrah with a 4.08 GPA and an ACT score of 27. He was also a National Achievement Semifinalist. Bird had been accepted to the University of Southern Mississippi where he would have majored in psychology while playing baseball.