Dalton’s Tighe commits to Georgia Southern and his future in baseball, won’t play football this fall

Published 8:00 pm Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Dalton High School rising senior JP Tighe has recently made two decisions which will greatly impact his future — and also the future of Catamount football.

Tighe, the Daily Citizen-News’ baseball All-Area Player of the Year this season as a junior, committed Wednesday to play baseball at Georgia Southern University. The two-sport star was also the Catamounts’ starting quarterback in 2016 and parts of 2015, but he decided not to play football this fall and will focus on baseball.

The latter choice was by far the tougher decision as Tighe said becoming an Eagle felt natural. With his college commitment made, Tighe can focus on the travel season and look forward to his senior year on the diamond, he said.

“It really came down to just feeling comfortable in the environment at Georgia Southern and the fact they will give me early playing time,” Tighe said. “It’s a huge weight off my shoulders to not have to worry about it. Now I can just go out and play the game I love. And knowing that I had found a place that is the right fit for me is a relief.”

Another factor was familiarity with Georgia Southern coach Rodney Hennon, a 1989 Dalton High graduate. His ability to talk to people who know Hennon, and likewise for Hennon to readily receive information about Tighe, led to a mutual comfort level.

“Coach Hennon being from Dalton was a big factor,” Tighe said. “He knows a lot of people here and has talked to a lot of people about me. And I’ve heard great things from here about him as well. So that played a big role. That and the fact they have such great facilities and the chance to play as a freshman were the biggest things.”

Tighe hit .445 with three home runs, 11 doubles and an area-leading 58 RBIs this year. He helped the Catamounts reach the Class 6A state quarterfinals, where they fell to eventual state champion Pope in a best-of-three series.

Though he is primarily a catcher for the Cats and sees himself sticking at that position in the long term, one of the appeals of Georgia Southern was the coaches’ willingness to allow Tighe to play different positions early in his career. That will allow him to see the field faster than if he was used only at catcher. Tighe said he has played both corner outfield and corner infield spots for his travel team, Exposure Prime, and is comfortable doing so for the Eagles.

Dalton coach Rhett Parrott believes that opportunity will allow Tighe to use his prowess at the plate while continuing to refine his mechanics behind the dish.

“JP is going to continue to work on every part of his game,” Parrott said. “He needs to be a little sharper defensively behind the plate, but once he develops more with his blocking and his throws down to second base he will be a catcher. But he will have the opportunity to play some other spots and with his bat being as good as it is, he will find a way into the lineup.”

Georgia Southern plays in the Sun Belt Conference of NCAA Division I. The Eagles were 38-21 in 2017 and finished third in the conference standings during the regular season. It was their fourth consecutive 30-win season and the 16th time in 17 years they have reached that mark.

Tighe said he was also considering Georgia State and Lipscomb and had interest from one Southeastern Conference and one Atlantic Coast Conference school, which he declined to name.

“I didn’t want to go to an SEC or ACC school and have to sit out or get redshirted,” Tighe said. “Knowing I have a chance to come in and compete and bring my game to another level straight out of high school and play as a freshman was important.”

On the football field, Tighe started at quarterback for every game in Dalton’s 2016 season. He helped lead the Catamounts to a 13-1 record and its first semifinal appearance in more than a decade as he threw for 2,127 yards and 21 touchdowns, while also rushing for 261 yards on 76 attempts. He led Region 6-6A in passing yards and was a first team all-region selection.

But he is leaving the gridiron behind to focus on his skills on the diamond.

“Absolutely, this was was a very difficult decision (to not play football),” Tighe said. “I really am just wanting to focus on what I’m going to be doing in college, which is playing baseball. In 20 months I will be showing up at Georgia Southern and I want to use as much as that time as I can really develop and continue to get better.”

Dalton football coach Matt Land was excited for and proud of Tighe for committing to Georgia Southern.

“Well first and foremost we are proud of JP and all the accomplishments he has had as a Dalton football and baseball player, but also as a student,” Land said. “He’s been a great player on and off the field for us and a role model for our younger kids. Any time you see one of your kids get the chance to play at the next level it brings a tremendous amount of pride and I have no doubt he will be successful at Georgia Southern.

“To lose your starting quarterback is a disappointment, but football is never about one player. Not having JP won’t change what we do, but it might change how we do it. We will make the adjustments and move forward.”

Land said there are “five or six” candidates for the starting quarterback position.