Chamar McDonald
Chamar McDonald played baseball, football, and basketball at Madison Central High School in Madison, MS. He was considered one of the best all-around athletes in the state. After graduating high school in 2001, McDonald signed with Louisiana State University to play college baseball under Skip Bertman. He was also drafted at the age of 17 by the Kansas City Royals in the 5th round (145th overall) of the 2001 MLB June Amateur Draft. McDonald was the first Mississippian drafted that year and was considered the best hitting prospect in the state. He decided to pursue his professional career, and retired in 2006 after several injuries.
Superstition followed McDonald throughout his baseball career; he always had to do things in sets of two. For example, he wore two pairs of socks in every game of his career. McDonald’s favorite baseball memory was being able to share the field with so many legendary players, like Ken Griffey Jr., Roger Clemens, and Mariano Rivera. He had looked up to each of these players throughout his baseball career. McDonald learned valuable lessons about baseball and, more importantly, about life throughout his playing career. He now wants to pass this knowledge along to the next generation of players he coaches. His goal is to develop and give players the basic skills that help them advance in their baseball careers.
McDonald enrolled at Ole Miss and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. Now, he works as a civil engineer for Neel-Schaffer, Inc., in Madison. He is happily married to his wife Megan, and they have two children, McKenzie and Ace.