Morgan City, Berwick grads sign to play for Mississippi college

Two Tri-City area baseball players are continuing their careers on the collegiate level at Southeastern Baptist College in Laurel, Mississippi.
Morgan City High alum William LaRocca and Berwick High graduate Bailey Thibodaux joined the first-year program, which is a part of the National Christian College Athletic Association.
LaRocca said that he learned the school was having an open tryout through his summer ball coach, Brett Dore’, and attended.
“Thankfully, I made the team,” he said.
While it is undetermined where he will play, LaRocca said he is working in the middle infield.
During his high school career, LaRocca was a four-year varsity starter who was an all-district selection all four years. He was an honorable mention pick as a freshman, earned first-team honors as a utility pick and was a second-team pick as a shortstop, both as a sophomore. His junior season, he was a second-team all-district pick as a utility player.
Additionally, he was a Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State honorable mention selection as a sophomore.
LaRocca said he is excited to be a part of this new collegiate program.
“We all are,” he said. “We have a lot to prove, and we really have nothing to lose being a first-year program.”
LaRocca said the players want to prove to all schools that didn’t offer them what they missed out on.
“We’re all just really hungry, ready to compete,” he said.
LaRocca said things are a lot different from high school with early-morning workouts and then after class, having hours-long baseball practices.
“It’s fun,” he said. “You just got to really enjoy baseball.”
As for Thibodaux, he will be a left-handed pitcher at Southeastern Baptist.
Thibodaux, who kept training after high school in hopes of getting a tryout somewhere, said he learned of the school via Dore’, who also told him about the tryout.
Thibodaux had enrolled at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux where he was pursuing a dietetics degree when he found out about the tryout.
“The next thing you know I’m now playing baseball again,” he said.
Thibodaux was a pitcher and first baseman at Berwick High School where he was a member of the baseball team for four years.
As for being a member of a first-year program, he said, “It feels like we’re going to be a part of a legacy that we’re going to build here. It’s a big part of history. Coming from a small town in Louisiana to all the way to Mississippi is pretty crazy, too.”
He said his goals for the season are to “get better, grow mentally and physically” and work towards his degree.