WEST POINT — Mitch Bohon has always felt like more than a coach to Manning Huffman.
Sure, Huffman is a senior catcher on Bohon’s baseball team at Oak Hill Academy, but their two families have been friends for a long time, and the coach has always felt a connection.
And ever since Huffman was in sixth grade, Bohon realized the player’s athletic ability could make him special.
“His baseball IQ is through the roof, and he’s got a really bright future ahead of him,” Bohon said.
On Monday morning, with Bohon, family and friends looking on, Huffman took the next step into that future, signing his letter of intent to play baseball for East Central Community College.
“I’m really proud of him for what he just did,” Bohon said.
Huffman said he chose East Central in July after building a connection with head coach Neal Holliman and the Warriors’ staff. He loved the campus in Decatur, too.
“I knew as soon as I walked in there and talked to the coaches that that’s where I wanted to go,” he said.
Huffman also sought advice from former Eupora standout Tanner Knight, currently playing for East Central. Through mutual friends, he got Knight’s number and texted him to ask about the school. Evidently, what Knight had to say was positive.
Bohon said East Central has a “really good program” and that Holliman, now in his 15th year coaching the Warriors, has done a great job. Adding Huffman, Bohon said, will only make things better.
“They compete for a state title every year, and they just got a piece that’s going to help them do that again,” Bohon said.
Bohon said Huffman offers the Warriors essentially anything they’d need in a player.
“He’s the best base runner I’ve ever had,” the Raiders coach said. “Defensively, he’s the best catcher that I’ve seen. He’s got a great arm, and he can hit. They’re getting a complete package with him.”
Huffman also plays football and basketball at Oak Hill but said he didn’t consider playing other sports besides baseball in college. With one more high school baseball season to go, his goal is to get a championship ring, a reminder that though his future lies in Decatur, Huffman’s not ready to leave just yet.
“I love it,” Huffman said of Oak Hill. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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