James to pursue childhood dream at Toccoa Falls College
Lafayette senior John James loves baseball and loves the outdoors, so where he’s headed next is essentially a perfect fit.
James is headed to the northeast Georgia mountains to attend and play ball for the Screaming Eagles of Toccoa Falls College, a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), after signing a letter of intent in front of teammates, friends and family at Lafayette High School on Tuesday.
“This is very exciting,” James said. “This is something I worked for since I was a little kid. It’s always been my goal to play college baseball. I’ve worked really hard and I’ve put a lot of hours in
and I’m just glad it’s finally paying off.”
James said he chose TFC for its athletics, as well as its academics.
“First off, they have a good baseball program, but they also have very good academics and a high graduation rate,” he explained. “They also have a good turnout rate for jobs after graduation, so that was a big factor for me too. Their head coach is a great guy and great leader and they have a lot of guys on their roster who are great ballplayers and great leaders and I think they’re going to help me with my college career and steer me in the right path.
“It’s also a very active, outdoorsy college with lots of things to do there, so I was happy with that too.”
James was rock steady all season long. He led the Ramblers in innings pitched with 45 and strikeouts with 51, as he ended the season with a 3.57 earned run average. He was selected to the 6-AAAA All-region second team by the league’s coaches.
Lafayette head coach Chris Base said that James is the baseball equivalent of a basketball gym rat.
“He’s always at the facility or at the field after school, even if he’s there by himself,” Base said. “He has 100 percent committed himself to this goal, at least for the past two years that I’ve known him and probably for the two years before that. This is a huge accomplishment for him and I’m very proud of him. It’s a testament to everything he’s worked for.”
Base said James was an even better pitcher than the numbers showed.
“He had some tough luck this year because he pitched well enough to win four or five games in the region,” the coach added. “There was only one region game where he really didn’t have his best stuff, but in virtually every other game, he got into the sixth or seventh inning and gave us a chance to win. Sometimes when that happens, it’s hard to stay in (the game) mentally, but he did a good job with that.”
James said he hopes to be a guy that can come in and throw strikes from the get-go.
“I’m not really going to overpower anybody, but I think I can keep people off-balance,” he continued. “That’s what I lived on during this past season, mixing pitches up and being able to throw some pitches for strikes. Hopefully I can keep throwing strikes and get outs.”
James is also the first college signee that Base has had since he’s been a head coach.
“He just needs continues to work and get stronger,” Base added. “He’s only been in the weight room for one year, so the more he works out, the stronger he’ll get and the more velocity he’ll add. Hopefully, he can also keep developing his off-speed pitch and throw them for strikes against lefties and righties. If he just continues with his work ethic and keeps working on his craft, he’ll be successful.”
James said he plans to study biology in college.