The Southern Sports & Travel Baseball Player of the Year
Magnolia Heights senior Jacob Billingsley is the 2013 Southern Sports & Travel Baseball Player of the Year.
The 6’1” senior led Magnolia Heights to a perfect 37-0 record and its’ second consecutive Class AAA Division-II State Championship.
Billingsley put together a stellar season that included dominant performances both on the mound and at the plate.
“I can't say enough good things about Jacob,” said Magnolia Heights head coach Chris McMinn. “He overcame a severe knee injury to become one of the top pitchers in the state. Last year I could see a determined young man who was never satisfied. He stayed in the weight room this off-season and became a leader on and off the field for our younger players, and he is a great role model for our underclassmen. I think that Jacob will arrive at Mississippi State and be ready to contribute on the mound. He is now able to throw four pitches for a strike, and he is getting better every day. He has been a pleasure to coach, and I look forward to seeing him at the next level.”
Billingsley, who first pitched at the age of 9, went 10-0 on the mound in 2013 with an MAIS best 0.54 ERA, only allowed four earned runs and 18 hits all season while handing out 82 strikeouts.
At the plate Billingsley hit .398 with a team best 33 RBI. The senior scored 26 runs, had a slugging percentage of .723, on base percentage of .490 and was second on the squad with 6 home runs.
Billingsley credits his father in shaping who he is and his biggest influence with regards to athletics. “He has always done the right thing the right way every time,” said Billingsley. “He never halfway does anything and teaching me that was a huge part of my success so far. He taught me the love of the game and how special this game is. He taught me not to show emotion during the games and to never get too low or too high.”
Billingsley, who likes to hunt, fish, play golf and cook said if he could choose one athlete to sit down and have a conversation with it would be Major Leaguer Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox. “All of his life people have told him he was too small or too slow, but he chose not to listen to them and to work and achieve what nobody thought he was able to do. He is a great role model for every ball player and is a hard nosed ball player.”
Billingsley, who has attended Magnolia Heights every year expect his freshman year, loved his study of Algebra because it enabled him to figure out problems. He signed with Mississippi State University to play baseball for the Bulldogs and will
major in Kinesiology.”
His best memory while at Magnolia Heights is no surprise. “Winning our second straight state championship to clinch a perfect 37-0 season.”
Billingsley credits head baseball coach Chris McMinn for the success of the Chief’s program.
“I have known coach Mac for several years. We go to the same church. He has been my coach since I was in 8th grade. He has done a tremendous job as head coach at Magnolia Heights. You can't achieve a perfect season and back-to-back state championships without the right coaching and coach Mac was definitely the right coach for our team.”
When asked what he sees himself doing in ten years Billingsley said, “I hope to still be playing ball and if not then to be coaching and teaching the love of the game just like my father taught me.”
Billingsley credits his father in another area also. “My father is the best athlete in our family. He can throw a tight spiral, a great knuckleball, and shoot the lights out in the gym. He also plays tennis with my mom who played at Delta State.”
The future Mississippi State Bulldog reflected on the season and the pressure associated with trying to remain undefeated . “It was amazing. There is no better feeling in the world that what we experienced this year. This is the closest team I've ever been on in my life. It was great that we got to finish off a perfect season on our own field. Several times we were in jams or behind a few runs but we didn't lay down and we got out of every single one of them. Good teams find a way to win and we managed to do it 37 times this year.”
Billingsley has left a permanent mark on the Magnolia Heights baseball program and his tenacity was never more evident than it was during big games. He allowed just one hit in a 5-1 win over Class AAA Division-I State Champion Jackson Prep earlier in the season and helped Magnolia Heights garner statewide attention by allowing just one run, three hits and striking out 11 in a 2-1 road win over MHSAA 6-A State Champion Southaven during the regular season.
Billingsley, who also considered Alabama, Ole Miss, Southern Mississippi and Delta State before inking with Mississippi State, is the 2013 Southern Sports & Travel Baseball Player of the Year.
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Photos courtesy of Nathan Dixon, Dixon Photography
