Petal senior Hunter Dykes took all of two hours to decide to make his commitment to play baseball at Jones County Junior College. When he was first offered a scholarship over the summer, he quickly called back.
“In about two hours, I made my decision and called right back,” Dykes said.
Dykes made it official with Jones County Thursday by signing in front of friends and family. He joins a long list of Petal Panthers who have signed to go play at the next level, too. Petal sent four players to the next level last year.
“The coaches are awesome,” Dykes said of JCJC. “Their sports are known for excellence, the education is really good and the campus life is awesome. I couldn’t miss out. It’s amazing how a big program wanted me and my goals have been reached. Now I have to set new ones.”
As a junior, Dykes was thrown into the fire quickly. He made two appearances as a sophomore, but he was asked to step up last season. He pitched 55.1 innings in 13 appearances while compiling a 2.78 earned run average and a 4-3 record. He struck out 52 batters and walked 25, too.
Dykes threw a five-inning, no-hitter in his third start of 2017. Petal slugged past Meridian 18-0, but Dykes held the Wildcats hitless while striking out eight and walking one in the run-rule shortened game.
“Most kids would have been nervous, but I was ready for it. It was fun,” Dykes said. “I like being thrown into the action and being on the field where everything is depending on me. I love that.”
Dykes joins former Petal Panther and pitching ace Taylor Gatwood at Jones County and Dykes expects the two to pick up where they left off last year when they played together.
“Oh, yeah,” Dykes said. “We’re going to be 1-2.”
Last season, when the two were at Petal, Gatwood was the ace of the staff while Dykes was still unproven. When Gatwood was shut down due to arm issues, Dykes stepped up as the go-to pitcher.
He led the Panthers to a 4-2 first-round playoff win over Terry, as he threw a complete game, six-hitter and only allowed two runs – one earned – with five strikeouts.
“He had a lot put on him last year because Taylor, who was coming back as our leading pitcher, had some arm problems,” Petal coach Larry Watkins said. “So, Hunter had to step up and pitch a little bit more.”
Dykes features a fastball with sinking action, changeup and slider in his arsenal, and he said he needs to work on the art of pitching more, rather than throwing it as hard as he can.
With the 2018 season approaching, Dykes is expected to take control of the pitching staff as the ace. He led the team in innings pitched, appearances, strikeouts and was second in ERA.
“Ideally, it’d be great to be able to use him in each game instead of just one a week,” Watkins said.
