The smile on CJ McKissic’s face after Tuesday night’s Tennessee vs. Georgia all-star baseball game was contagious.
In the bottom of the eighth inning McKissic sprinted to the right field corner where he fielded a sharply hit ball and threw the relay back as hard as he could. His all-out effort helped turn a double play as the lead runner was thrown out in a run down at home plate before the next runner was also tagged out near the third base bag.
To wear the Howard baseball uniform one last time meant a lot to McKissic, who missed all of his senior season due to a knee injury. A week before the regular season began, McKissic tore his ACL while fielding a ball during batting practice.
“I never lost that killer instinct that coach (Jon) Johnson taught me,” McKissic said after the all-star game at Ridgeland High. “To wear my high school uniform one last time means the world because it’s who I represent, where I come from. No matter what happens, always give 100 percent because you never know who is watching. You keep a good attitude and forget all the bad and live for the good.”
Georgia won the game 12-3 with Ringgold’s Ross Norman, a Georgia State signee, collecting three hits, including a pair of doubles while driving in five runs to win the game’s MVP award. Silverdale Baptist’s Brett Rogers (Middle Tennessee State signee) smacked a line-drive home run two pitches into the game, while Sonoraville’s Zach Lyles (Western Kentucky signee) also homered.