STARKVILLE — Baseball runs in the Wooten family.
Josh Wooten began his career at Meridian Community College and then transferred to Mississippi State, where he pitched from 2000-01. His son, Smith, will become the next Wooten to play college baseball, as the 2023 Starkville Christian graduate announced his commitment to Hinds Community College via social media earlier this week.
Wooten said he is eager to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“Hearing his stories and his experiences when he played made me want to do it for myself,” Wooten said. “Finally after lots of hard work, being able to say that that’s an opportunity that I have is pretty exciting.”
Batting left-handed and throwing right, the 6-2 outfielder is coming off a massive season with Starkville Christian, where he hit .438 with a 1.425 OPS and three home runs in 32 at-bats.
Wooten is listed as both an outfielder and first baseman, but outfield is his primary position, and he excelled there in high school.
“[Wooten] is very fast and you could always count on him to make a catch,” Starkville Christian head coach Dylan Prisock said. “He was also a team leader and made everyone else want to get better.”
Wooten’s decision to commit to Hinds was part baseball, part future, as he is looking to enter the world of aviation. Hinds’ aviation program is one of a select few offered in Mississippi.
That, plus an instant connection with coaches and those surrounding the program made the decision an easy choice for him.
“I don’t think it will really set in until I get on to campus and that’s my day-to-day life,” Wooten said. “It’s been a dream of mine to play college baseball since I was like eight years old, probably even earlier than that.”
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