Augusta Christian star signs with South Georgia
Hunter Hensley stands 6 feet, 9 inches tall.
Augusta Christian's Hunter Hensley sits between his parents, Beth and Howard Hensley, as he signs a scholarship to play for South Georgia College. The 6-foot-9 player helped the Lions take the Class-AAA state championship this year.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
A giant by any standard, he helped Augusta Christian tower over its South Carolina Independent Schools Association playoff opponents as the team rocketed to the Class-AAA state championship.
"My height was intimidating for a lot of people," Hensley said.
"Any time you have a 6-foot-9 guy on the mound, people think of Randy Johnson," Lions coach Craig Johnson said in agreement.
Hensley recently signed to play baseball at South Georgia College, though Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Ga., also pursued him. The signing makes Hensley the third Lion from this year's team who has committed to play college baseball.
The right-hander was unusually motivated to capture the state crown this season because of a little family history.
"My cousin played on the other two Augusta Christian teams that won state, so it was always a dream for me to win it," Hensley said.
Hensley went 7-2 this season with a 1.07 ERA, improving his career record to 13-3.
Unfortunately, the ace developed tendinitis down the stretch, and as a result, one of his two losses came in the playoffs.
"He had to play through it, but it's a shame that his last high school start wasn't a win," Johnson said.
"It was frustrating because I couldn't throw in the last two series," Hensley said. "But I was confident in the other players; I knew they'd step up."
They did, and the giant's dream came true.