Josh King was all set to play for Southern Union next season and hopefully land a spot at a four-year school down the road.

Well, turns out that opportunity is going to come a bit sooner than expected.

King is planning on signing a baseball scholarship with Marshall University in West Virginia, and he’ll be on the team’s roster next spring.

King came to the attention of the Marshall coaches during the summer while he was playing for the Ohio Warhawks.

The coaches were at one of the Warhawks’ games looking at another player, and King had a terrific day at the plate.

The two sides started talking, and after King took a visit to the school last week, he decided Marshall was where he wanted to be.

Troup baseball coach Craig Garner said the toughest part was letting the Southern Union coaches know he wouldn’t be going to school there.

“He had to make that dreaded call to Southern Union,” Garner said. “But it’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last.”

When King went to Ohio, the plan was for him to be used exclusively a pitcher, since that’s what his role was going to be at Southern Union.

But with some players struggling, King got a chance to be an everyday player, and he made an impact.

On the day the Marshall coaches were there, Garner said “he had a great day at the plate.”

The coaches watched King play the next couple of days, and they offered him a scholarship, not as a pitcher, but as a position player.

King expressed a desire to be a pitcher and a hitter, though, and the coaches agreed.

Then it was a matter of taking a visit to the school, and Garner said that sealed the deal.

“He loved it. He liked what he saw,” Garner said.

While King is moving on, three of his former teammates at Troup High who played for the Warhawks this summer are back for another season of high-school baseball.

Eric Escobedo and Brad Bartlett will be seniors this season, while Jackson Oliver will be a junior.

The four Tigers helped the Warhawks enjoy a spectacular summer.

The team went 38-4, and it finished the summer on a 21-game winning streak.

In their final tournament of the summer, the Warhawks went 8-0 in the Pastime National Championship in Indianapolis, and they beat the Ohio Elite 6-3 in the title game.

“They all enjoyed it and had a good time,” Garner said. “They represented Troup well.”