Lee Boyd sees Carson Forrester’s best attribute as untapped potential; starting in the fall, that upside belongs to Mississippi Delta Community College.
While New Hope’s baseball coach hopes to expose as much of that potential as he can this spring in Forrester’s senior season, he expects to see Mississippi Delta unearth more of it after Forrester signed with the Trojans Friday morning. Forrester plays first base, designated hitter and pitches for New Hope, but Boyd sees him as a pitcher first at Mississippi Delta.
“I feel like pitching is going to be his thing at the next level,” Boyd said. “I bet they’ll give him a shot to do both, but I think they really liked him on the mound more than anything. They’re going to give him an opportunity to play first; he’s a big kid, so he’s going to get that opportunity.
“He’s got good velocity. He’s low- to mid-80s from time to time, he’s got a good, good breaking ball, he’s worked hard on his changeup and he has a big presence. You’re talking about a 6’4″, 240-pound kid that has potential to get up from the low- to mid-80s up to the mid- to upper-80s. I think there’s a lot of upside to Carson.”
Forrester initially said he did not have a preference on what position he played at Mississippi Delta, but quickly came back to pitching.
“I just love it. It’s a thrill,” he said.
Forrester was beginning to attract attention from other junior colleges in the state, some of whom Boyd thinks were getting close to making offers of some sort, but Mississippi Delta was the first to make that move on Forrester.
Their persistence paid off.
“I really liked the coaches,” Forrester said. “They were a big aspect to going there because they texted me and called me every week. They really showed love and their interest in me. It was really easy.”
Forrester is continuing a pipeline from New Hope to Mississippi Delta, as it already has catcher/outfielder Will Godfrey, infielder Payton Lane and utility man Tyler Jones on its roster from New Hope. Forrester said having friends at Mississippi Delta factored into his decision, too.
Boyd sees the potential for Forrester to make an immediate impact at Mississippi Delta; there’s no denying him impact on New Hope in the early days of his senior season.
“He’s already had one start and did well,” Boyd said. “He’s been (designated hitter) some, he’s played first some and he’s also getting some starts on the mound. He’s done well and I hope it continues.”
Forrester joins New Hope teammate Parker Lane, who signed with Mississippi Delta in November, and Northeast Mississippi Community College signee Thomas Stevens as college-bound baseball players from New Hope.
“We like to see them all go and play,” Boyd said. “Hopefully we get a few more guys, I think we have a few more with potential to sign, so hopefully that works out. But it never gets old, we love to see them go play.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.