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Seth Stargell is taking his talents to the next level. The LaGrange senior made his decision official on Wednesday when a signing day was held in his honor.

Stargell declared that he will be playing baseball at Albany State in the fall.

“The team really rallied around me the first time I visited,” Stargell said. “They treated me like one of their own, and it felt like I had known them already for four years.”

The team atmosphere was one of the selling points, but for Stargell the fact that Albany State is an HBCU was something that really piqued his interest. 

“My aunt went to Alabama State, and it runs in the family,” Stargell said. “Black culture is big in our family and I wanted to be a part of the HBCU culture.”

In the meantime, he still has unfinished business with the Grangers as they are on the precipice of starting the 2023 season.

“We have big goals this year, and we feel like we are even better than last year,” Stargell said. “We hope to win those final two games of the season and leave here with a state championship. It’s a process, and we are going to take it one game at a time.”

He will look to build on a junior season in which he hit .387 with 28 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. Stargell was a key member of the team that finished state runners-up in 4A last season.

Stargell has felt confident in his ability to play college baseball. He and LaGrange coach Donnie Branch worked together to find him the right collegiate fit. Branch contacted the coach at Albany State and told him that Stargell is every bit the sort of player Albany State would be lucky to have. 

“I told him he was an absolute idiot if he didn’t sign him and those were my exact words to him because we are friends,”  Branch said. “I told him ‘even if Seth never plays an inning for you he will make that program better.’”

Thursday was his day though. Long after the football signing day had wrapped, teachers, family, friends and even some of those very same football players who signed in the morning, poured into the team room in the LaGrange gym to support Stargell. 

“I’m glad it’s finally over,” Stargell said with a laugh. “Recruiting is one of the best and worst things in sports.”

It was a welcome sight for Stargell who is soft spoken but commands the respect of the faculty and students he shares the school with.

“He’s the kind of person as a coach you love to be around,” Branch said. “He doesn’t make excuses, he finds a way to get it done.” 

Stargell is in his final months at LaGrange High. It holds a special place in his heart and his journey and experiences there will define him as he goes forward. 

“I want to thank Granger nation,” Stargell said. “They were with us every step of the way last season from the first game through the playoffs and the job isn’t done yet.”