Wednesday was a dream come true for Garrett Robbins, as the Sumrall slugger put pen to paper and officially signed with Pearl River Community College.
“It’s kind of special to see. You work your whole life to do this,” Robbins said. “It’s kind of weird to see it come true.”
Robbins is entering his senior season with the Bobcats. After transferring in from Oak Grove, Robbins had his breakout season this past year for Sumrall. In 28 games, he batted .441 with 41 hits and drove in 44 runs, all team-leading. He added four home runs, which was second on the team to Billy Garrity’s seven.
“We knew Garrett was capable of it, but we were not sure how long it would take, because sometimes that’s a process,” Sumrall head baseball coach Larry Knight said. “It’s one of those situations to where he played shortstop for us and had a really good year. The bat really came on strong early, and I think his confidence just built from there.”
Knight says Robbins will make the switch to outfield for the upcoming 2018 season which could help for when he transitions to the next level.
“That’s really gonna be his position, so from that standpoint, of course it’s always very competitive, but it’s gonna be one of those situations where he works really hard and puts himself in position to play early on.”
Robbins will join a couple of friends like Pearl River Central’s Austen Izzio and West Harrison’s Kasey Donaldson at Pearl River.
“I know a bunch of dudes that will go up there with me,” Robbins said. “So that definitely played a part in my decision.”
“Pearl River has always had a strong program,” Knight added. “Coach Avalon and Coach Izzio have stepped in there now with new coaches. I know they’re pushing things really hard and trying to get as many good players in the area. So I know they’re excited about it.”
