DECATUR — Kemp Alderman and Hayden West provided plenty of firepower for Newton County Academy this past spring, and they’ll continue to do so at the next level.

On Wednesday morning, Alderman signed with Ole Miss to continue his baseball career, while West inked with East Central Community College to do the same.

Alderman has been an Ole Miss commit for a couple of years now, and he said finally getting the signing out of the way was a relief so he can focus solely on his upcoming senior season.

“It’s a big weight off my back,” Alderman said. “I’ve always wanted to be a Rebel, and now I can’t wait to just get up there and play.”

While he still has one more season of high school ball, Alderman said he’s already looking forward to the atmosphere of playing in a college baseball game.

“Ole Miss has a great atmosphere with great coaches, and it’s a great place to play,” Alderman said. 

Growing up an Ole Miss fan gave the Rebels a leg up in their recruitment of him, but Alderman said the success of the Rebels under head coach Mike Bianco made him want to experience being a Rebel firsthand. He also said he wants to represent NCA at the Division I level.

“It’s definitely a great place to play, and the coaches there make you feel like family,” Alderman said. “All the fans just make it feel like home.”

Like Alderman, West said signing with his team of choice was a relief, and he’s looking forward to being a part of Neal Holliman’s Warriors program.

“I’m really happy about it and proud to go there,” West said. “It makes it all worth it, practice and all that.”

As much work as he puts in, West said his passion for the game makes it not feel like work when he practices, which is another reason he’s grateful to have the chance to keep playing beyond high school.

“There isn’t a whole lot in the world that feels like hitting a ball in the gap or striking someone out,” West said. “I love it.”

Along with the recent success ECCC has had in baseball — the Warriors won the MACJC state championship in 2016 and also won MACJC titles in 2007 and 2013 under Holliman — West said staying close to home was a big plus.

“That’s one thing I was really excited about,” West said. “Being able to play there means being here at home, and I’m just happy to go there.”

This past season, West hit .435 for the Generals with two home runs and 35 RBIs while striking out 50 and pitching to a 4.03 earned-run average. He’s expected to pitch and play infield at ECCC. Alderman hit .578 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs for NCA in 2019, and he had a 2.46 ERA with 84 strikeouts as a pitcher. He’s expected to pitch and play first base at Ole Miss.