Generals ink letter of intent to prolong baseball career
After helping to lead Heritage to the first Final Four of the Class AAAA state playoffs in school history, Joseph Hill and Alex Barbee signed their letters of intent to play collegiate baseball.
On Wednesday, Hill inked his John Hancock to play for the University of West Georgia, while Barbee signed his letter of intent to play for Patrick Henry Community College, an institution that is in Martinsville, Virginia.
For the year, Hill hit .387 with three homeruns, 36 RBIs and 46 hits. While these numbers were good enough to turn heads of recruiters from Division I colleges, Hill said he chose West Georgia because of the academics, and the fact that it is a Division II college, a place where he can play right off the bat as opposed to waiting a couple years at a Division I school.
“Going D1, there is probably going to be somebody better than me and play over me in the first couple of years,” Hill said. Going DII, I have a better chance of getting a lot of playing time.”
Hill, who played shortstop for the Generals, said he is expecting to play second base for the Wolves, but there is a chance he could play some shortstop.
“I’m going to contribute to the best of my abilities and contribute as much as I can,” Hill said. “On and off the field I want to display character and play as hard as I can every day.”
As the fall semester gets closer, Hill said he is leaning towards a major in the math or science departments.
Although Hill mustered up some gaudy offensive numbers to assist his team to a 30-9 record, it was Barbee’s pitching that protected a lot of leads in big games.
For the season, Barbee went 8-4 with 54 strikeouts and a 1.87 earned run average.
Barbee said he can’t wait to showcase his talents on the collegiate level.
“I’m very excited,” Barbee said. “This is every kid’s next dream: to play on the next level.”
Barbee, though, put a lot of stock in to who he was going to play for, comparing the Unity coaching staff’s level of preparedness and integrity to that of the Generals’. Also, Barbee said there was something special about Unity as soon as he stepped foot on the campus.
“I really liked it when I was there,” Barbee said. “I met all of the coaches and some of the players and I just felt I made an instant connection. I belong there.”
The goal, of course, remains the same for Barbee: throw as many strikes as possible, whether in a starting role or a relief role. But for now, he will figure out his major, which could be either engineering or sports medicine.