By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

Josh King fit right in.

After playing at LaGrange Academy his sophomore season, King transferred to Troup High as a junior, and it was a good fit for everyone.

King en-joyed playing for a winning team that was one of the best in Region 2-AAA, and head coach Craig Garner liked having a versatile guy who could play any infield position, could pitch, and was one of the team’s top clutch hitters.

“The guys accepted him like he was one of their own,” Garner said. “He was able to go through all the offseason workouts that we do. He was ready to do whatever he needed to do.”

King is looking forward to his senior season, and beyond that, he’s ready to tackle a bigger challenge.

Last week, King signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Southern Union College, a two-year school in Wadley, Ala.

“I’ll probably go there for two years and then possibly transfer to a bigger Division I school,” he said. “That’d be nice.”

For now, King is a big part of Troup’s plans.

He’ll be a starting infielder, although he isn’t sure what position he’ll play, and a pitcher.

Garner said King can even play in the outfield if he’s needed there.

The coach said King will see an increased workload on the mound after seeing limited action a year ago.

“Last year, he threw maybe three, four innings,” Garner said. “This year, he’ll be one of our top pitchers. Ultimately, that’s what he’s going to do (in college) is pitch.”

King is part of the reason expectations are so high at Troup.

The Tigers did lose some key players to graduation, including standout catcher Luke Bailey and shortstop Blake Barber, but there’s plenty of talent returning.

“We’re really excited. We’re ready,” King said. “We’ve got most of our players back.”

King said that as a senior, he’ll take on more of a leadership role this spring.

He figures his key duties as a senior will be “just keeping the team up, keep them working hard.”

The Tigers open their season Feb. 23 at Newnan.