When senior Trace McNabb toes the rubber or steps into the batter box again at West Marion High School, he will be doing so without carrying the extra baggage of trying to impress college scouts.
That burden was lifted Wednesday afternoon when the 5-foot-11 righty signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Pearl River Community College during the early signing period.
“I’m glad all the hard work finally paid off,” he said. “Hard work, that’s what it took to get here. I’m real happy to get here.”
During his junior season, McNabb went 6-5 with a 2.97 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings pitched on the mound and batted .281 with 16 RBI, 21 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. McNabb also pitched twice at the State Games earlier this year.
West Marion head baseball coach Derrick Jerkins said it was a tough decision for McNabb to find the best fit.
“A lot of hard work and a lot of long hours put in. I’m really proud of Trace,” he said. “If y’all realized how much he and I talked on the phone during this process trying to figure out where he wanted to go, it was a lot of hours. He had several offers — Meridian, East Central and Co-Lin and Gulf Coast had interest — and if he hadn’t committed early, he may have a few more offers. He is the hardest working young man I’ve ever had the experience to coach.”
For McNabb, though, the decision wasn’t that difficult.
“It was closer to home, and I liked the coaches down there,” he said. “I knew that’s where I wanted to be when I went down there.”
The Wildcats already boast five players from Marion County on their roster — three position player starters to go along with a starting pitcher — and McNabb is looking forward to playing with some familiar faces.
“I’m real excited about that,” he said. “I already know a lot of people that’s down there now and talked to a lot of them.”
While McNabb’s immediate future may be set at PRCC, Jerkins believes his baseball future will extend beyond Poplarville.
“He’s going to go to Pearl River, but Pearl River won’t be his last place,” Jerkins said. “He’s going to play a lot of baseball after Pearl River.”
Jerkins also took the platform as an opportunity to show younger Trojans what is possible if they put the work in.
“I hope that he has been and will be a good role model for some of these other guys. I hope y’all see what hard work can do for you,” he said addressing McNabb’s teammates in attendance. “Trace, as a 10th-grader at St. Andrews (during a camp), threw 74 miles per hour (and now tops out at 87) so it shows that in
18 months what a lot of hard work can do.”
Pictured Above: Trace McNabb, center, signed with PRCC Wednesday surrounded by family and coaches. In front are his parents, Joe, left, and Tammy. In back are assistant coach Ryan Loftin and head coach Derrick Jerkins. | Photo by Mark Rogers
