Say a prayer for the Hancock family tonight. Cleveland, Miss. native and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock with killed early Sunday morning in a car accident:

Police said the 29-year-old Hancock was alone in his 2007 Ford Explorer when he struck the rear of a tow truck at 12:35 a.m. The truck was in the left lane assisting another vehicle that was involved in a prior accident, officer Pete Mutter said.

Hancock was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the tow truck, whose name was not released by police, was in the truck at the time of the crash but was not injured.

Hancock, born in Cleveland, Miss., attended high school at Vestavia Hills in Vestavia, Ala. and was Alabama’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 1996 before going on to play at Auburn.

He is the brother of former Ole Miss baseball standout Jon Jon Hancock and current Tupelo High senior Katie Hancock, an All-State girls basketball player.

Thanks to CJ for the heads-up.