Originally a Northwest baseball commit, Gage Lucius of Calhoun City has instead decided to join his former high school teammates on the diamond at East Mississippi Community College.
Lucius will join classmates Jobi Cook and Hayden Goodson at EMCC and expects to play a role in the Lions’ pitching rotation. According to Lucius, having his friends attend EMCC played a large role in his decision to flip his commitment to the Lions.
“East had already offered me after my junior year, but I was still undecided on where I wanted to go then,” Lucius said. “But once they offered Jobi and Hayden, I felt like that was the best place for me to go.”
As far as what he is most looking forward to in Scooba next spring, Lucius is excited about continuing his career with these friends.
“[I look forward to] playing college baseball with some of the same friends I’ve played with since little league,” Lucius said.
Lucius’ senior baseball season at Calhoun City was cut short due to COVID-19, and before his decision to play at EMCC, his biggest regret was not being able to finish his high school career with these same friends.
“It was hard for all of us knowing we would never play together again or for Calhoun City,” Lucius said. “The hardest thing for me to overcome was knowing I would never get to play with some of my best friends again.”
Of course, that all changed when Lucius and his friends all held offers from EMCC.
“I knew they had offered Jobi, and it made me regret not going to East in the first place,” Lucius said. “Then they offered Hayden too, and it made me really want to go there. So, I called the coach and he offered me again. I felt way more confident in playing college baseball being with my friends at East.”
These high school teammates will be joining a rebuilding program at EMCC. The Lions had a 1-13 record before their season was canceled due to COVID-19. Lucius will attempt to be a staple on the EMCC pitching staff which had a high ERA of 7.43 before the season’s cancelation.
