If you have attended a Troup baseball game over the last couple of years, odds are you have seen Troup’s bash brothers — Josh McDonald and Reed Morris — clobber a home run or two. McDonald was able to edge out Morris with six home runs to five.

“We had a little side bet going on this season to see who was going to hit more runs, and he beat me by one this season,” Morris said. 

The two were not just swinging for the fences every time, they were measured in their approach to each at bat. Morris finished his senior season hitting .351 with a .478 on base percentage while leading the team with 25 RBIs. McDonald hit .328 with a .435 on base percentage and 23 RBIs.

While the two are the best of friends now, even taking a college visit together earlier this year, it was not always this way. The two played together before high school but did not hit it off until they started getting varsity gametime in their freshman years.

The two are built like the Incredible Hulk’s younger brothers but are quiet, soft-spoken individuals and are best described as gentle giants. 

“I remember freshman year when we were still little,” McDonald said with a laugh. “Now, we are hitting it out of the park. I never thought it would end up like this.”

But get these two on a baseball diamond and they form a formidable 1-2 power punch in any lineup.

“It feels good to have somebody behind you that you know if you get out he can come up and deliver just as much as I could,” Morris said. “It feels good to have that comfort and protection behind you.” 

In fact, McDonald and Morris might best be labeled a 3-4 punch as they rarely batted anywhere else in the lineup as they were called upon to be the guys to drive in the majority of runs. The responsibility of their place in the order just made both guys hungrier for success. 

The two were not just a formidable offensive duo, they formed a natural partnership on defense as well. The two started on the corners of the infield most nights with Morris on third and McDonald on first. 

Unsurprisingly, the most special moment these two shared this season was offensively when Morris and McDonald hit back-to-back home runs against Northgate.

“He got a little upset with me in the dugout because it was his first hit of the season, and it was a home run and then one pitch later I got one,” McDonald said as they shared a laugh remembering the game.

This year was not the only year that the two were putting balls over the fence. The uptick in home runs started a season ago, especially for Morris who went on an unbelievable run in the playoffs where he hit five in an eight game span. 

“Everything was going our way really,” Morris said. “It was crazy. It honestly feels like a dream.”

Morris’ hard-hitting ways and clutch play could have gotten him an offer to play college baseball. He has decided to attend Auburn University instead and may be hanging up his cleats for good if he cannot earn a spot as a walk-on. It was a tough decision, but Auburn felt like a place he could call home.

“It was a tough decision, but I knew that I’ve wanted to go to Auburn my whole life,” Morris said. “My parents both went there, and I have been an Auburn fan my whole life. There was really no other choice when I got accepted.”

McDonald on the other hand will be heading to Andrew College to play baseball, an opportunity that he could not pass up. 

The two will be heading their separate ways, but both will remain a part of the Troup baseball brotherhood for life. These two, along with some of their fellow senior baseball players — Ty Medders and Devon Murphy — are already carving out plans for the fall.

“I will definitely be making plans to go see all three of them play,” Morris said. 

“And maybe we could all three plan a weekend to go down to Auburn to visit him,” McDonald said.”My college will play Devon’s and Ty’s colleges, so that will be fun to play against them.”