Will King, a standout baseball player at Belgreen High School during the 2024 season, is the latest Franklin County athlete to announce his decision to play college athletics. On June 17th, the recent Belgreen graduate announced on Facebook his commitment to continue his baseball and academic career at Rust College.
“I’m happy,” King told the Franklin Free Press. “I worked really hard to get this opportunity to play at this level. It’s been my goal since I was little to play college ball.”
Belgreen head coach Nathan Vincent is excited for his now-former player, who has been an important member of the Bulldogs program for the last half-decade.
“I’m super proud of Will and what he has accomplished at Belgreen,” Vincent said. “Starting in seventh grade we knew what he was capable of. He’s been one of the most competitive players I’ve had since I’ve been here.”
King was a versatile member of this past season’s squad, playing in multiple positions as he helped lead the Bulldogs to an appearance in the second round of the AHSAA Class 1A playoffs. The 2024 postseason run was just one of many King was able to experience during his career at Belgreen.
“He’s been a staple for this program for six years,” Vincent said. “He and this senior class have made it to the playoffs four times out of the last six years.”
On the mound King finished his final high school campaign with a team-high 44 and a third innings pitched, a team-best 5-2 record, and a team-leading 2.68 earned-run average. He struck out 51 batters and held opponents to a .161 batting average.
At the plate King ended the year with a stellar .475 batting average, leading the Bulldogs in home runs and doubles with two and nine, respectively. With his 38 total hits, King knocked in 30 runners and scored 44 runs. He struck out just 10 times in 108 at-bats. King was also no joker on the base paths, swiping 28 bags.
For his efforts, King was named a Franklin Free Press All-County First Team pitcher. He was also the first player in the program’s history to be selected to the All-State team, earning a spot on the Class 1A Second Team as an infielder.
"I know he got All-State for infield—of course, he is a really good infielder—but I threw him more on the mound than anyone else this year, and he did a great job pitching for us, too” Vincent told the Franklin Free Press after the All-State team was announced in early June. "I think, offensively, his stats speak for themselves. Batting average, on-base percentage, extra base hits, stolen bases—he can really do it all.
"I’m proud of him, and we’re really happy that he was recognized,” Vincent added.
King believes that his ability to play any position on the field is one of his biggest strengths and will help him be successful at the next level.
“I can play almost any spot on the field,” he said. “If they ask me to play it, I can play it. I’m a utility player.”
His former head coach concurs:
“Will can play any position on the field,” Vincent said. “He’s a very versatile player, and I think that will help him once he starts college ball.”
Rust College is a private, historically black college located in Holly Springs, Mississippi. The Bearcats play in the HBCU Athletic Conference, formerly known as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, associated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The school’s colors, blue and white, King will certainly be familiar with, but it was Rust’s size—enrollment ranges from 700 to 900 students—that attracted King.
“I didn’t want to go to a place with a really big campus, and (Rust’s) campus is pretty small,” he said. “I like that it’s small like my hometown.”
King plans to study education in the hopes of one day returning to his hometown.
“I want to be able to come back and coach baseball when I get older,” King said. “I know I’ll miss playing in high school with my friends, and I want to be able to come back and coach high school.”
Until that time, King said he’ll always take with him a lesson he learned at Belgreen:
“I know there are some times it’ll be hard, but I know I can get through them,” he said. “I know I’ve got people I can call on if I need help and they’ll help me.”
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