STARKVILLE — Football always was an option for Colt Chrestman.
After a standout season with the Starkville Academy football team and an appearance in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Senior All-Star game, bided his time and waited for the scholarship offers from colleges to come in.
While Chrestman waited, he wondered if he would get an opportunity to realize his dream and play baseball in college. When baseball season started and he still hadn’t received the right offer, Chrestman set out to make an impression that helped him earn what he wanted.
On Thursday morning, Chrestman’s hard work paid dividends, as he signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville.
“I knew in my mind I wanted to play baseball,” Chrestman said. “I just waited it out. There were some schools that contacted me, but they weren’t too serious about it. I just kept waiting.”
Chrestman was hitting .500 at spring break, but he still hadn’t received an offer that made him commit on the spot. Still, he kept working and performing at a high level. But he said it wasn’t until he attended a baseball game at Starkville High School and met Northeast Mississippi C.C. coach that he received an invitation to visit the school.
On Wednesday, Starkville High’s Justin Conner and Rashon Tate signed scholarships to play baseball at NEMCC. Last week, Starkville Academy pitcher Caleb Griffin also signed with NEMCC, so Chrestman should have plenty of company in Booneville.
“Northeast seemed to be the best option because I have some family up there and my teammate is going up there,” Chrestman said. “I also played ball with Rashon on the same travel ball team. That helped me make my decision to go there.”
Chrestman played a key role in helping the Starkville Academy football, boys basketball, baseball, and boys track and field teams win district championships this season. But his contributions on the diamond ultimately were the ones that helped secure an opportunity to continue his athletic career. The boys soccer team also won a district title, but Chrestman doesn’t play on that team.
Chrestman is among the leaders in multiple categories for the baseball team. He is hitting .444 and has a .530 on-base percentage and a .704 slugging percentage. He has 31 hits, seven doubles, three triples, two home runs, 28 RBIs, and 25 runs scored.
Chrestman, who is 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, said NEMCC also has shown some interest in having him play football, too, but he said he isn’t sure if he is going to do that because he wants baseball to be his focus. He said his ability to play hard and to give his best effort enabled him to receive a scholarship offer.
As a senior on the football team, Chrestman had 33 catches for 661 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 91 tackles (49 solo) and four interceptions. He also punted and had an average of 47 yards per kick.
On Wednesday, Chrestman was a part of the winning 4×100- and 4×200-meter relay teams. He also finished first in the 200 and second in the 100 to help the Starkville Academy boys win another district title.
Earlier in the month, Chrestman and the Volunteers beat the Heritage Academy Patriots for the second time in three meetings to help them secure a district title in baseball. Starkville Academy received a bye as a result of the finish and will have next week off before it plays its playoff series opener the week of May 2.
Chrestman has been an integral part of the Volunteers’ success. The veteran center fielder leads the team in batting average and is among the team leaders in multiple categories.
Starkville Academy baseball coach Jarrod Parks said Chrestman has been a dependable presence on offense and defense. He said he also has provided valuable leadership that has enabled the Volunteers to enter the postseason with an 18-4 record.
“He brings so much to the table,” Parks said. “He has speed at the plate, speed on defense. He can cover so much ground out there. He has a great arm. He hits right in the middle of the lineup for us, and he is such a leader on the field. … He is the all-around player you want. He brings it every single day.”
Starkville Academy football coach Chase Nicholson has watched Chrestman mature the past few years. He praised his versatility and his efforts to make so many of the school’s sports successful. He also said Chrestman has been out front as a leader in all of the sports and has helped make all of those accomplishments a little easier.
“I am excited for him,” Nicholson said. “We tried in the offseason to get him anything he could get — football or baseball. From day one, I told him, ‘I just want you to have options and I want you to sit down and say, this is what I choose to do.’
“We have been very fortunate. He had had several offers in football and several opportunities in baseball. For him to sit down and say, ‘This is what I want to do,’ that is all I ever wanted. It is what I want for all of them.
“I know how hard he has worked, not just in baseball and football, but in the weight room, in the classroom and stayed consistent and what he has had to do mentally for this moment. When is it going to come? When is it going to happen? To finally see it all come together and to see the work has paid off for him and he has a smile on his face, I am proud to death for him.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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