Bainbridge baseball player Griffin Long signed a scholarship to play at LaGrange College on Wednesday.

Griffin, a senior, has been a strong utility player for the Bearcats, playing at second base, third base and catcher, among others.

Long said he loved the idea of not being too far from Bainbridge.

“When I went up there for a visit, I fell in love,” Long said. “It’s a small town, and I love the coaches.”

As a Bearcat, Long said he has learned to be competitive and fight every day for a position. He wants to bring that mentality to LaGrange.

“You never know when someone else will come and take it (from you),” he said.

In his two years playing on the varsity team, he’s accumulated a .270 batting average, banging out 31 hits, 20 RBIs and scoring 22 runs.

His junior year, he batted .297 and had 17 runs. As he approaches his senior season, Long will be a cornerstone of a talented Bearcat roster.

“We are extremely proud of him. He has worked hard,” said Long’s father, Phil. “We’ve been doing this since he was 7 years old. To be able to get a college education and play baseball has been a tremendous goal that he has achieved. We couldn’t be any prouder.”