Opposing teams last year had a difficult enough time contending with Dylan Stroud’s bat.  On the pitching mound, Stroud’s left arm proved just as dangerous.

Stroud was a key component of Enterprise’s 17-win team in 2018, and last week, the senior pledged his commitment to play at Mississippi Delta Community College.

Stroud visited MDCC during the football season for a showcase, but an injury he sustained to his throwing hand on the gridiron prevented him from participating. That didn’t matter, however, as he gathered enough from the September visit to know he wanted to spend his first two years of college as a Trojan.

“I went up there and I saw the complex, the field, the locker rooms, and everything,” Stroud said. “And the attitude the coaches had made me realize that I really liked it.”

Last season, Stroud compiled a stellar 1.76 earned-run average and went 9-2 as a starting pitcher. He threw three no-hitters and struck out 77 opposing batters. Stroud ended the year with a .466 batting average with 40 RBIs and four home runs. He was named Region 5-2A’s Most Valuable Player and he landed on The Meridian Star’s Premier Preps of East Mississippi 2018 baseball team.

Family is a facet of Stroud’s life that spans beyond Enterprise’s dugout. His sisters, Kaitlynn and Catherine, are a members of Enterprise’s softball team, and his parents, Brad and Alicia, are fixtures at Bulldog baseball and softball games.

“My dad has always pushed me to be the best I can be,” Stroud said. “It didn’t matter if I was out just playing in the yard or doing schoolwork. He pushes me to be the very best I can be so that I can grow up and be the best person and best dad to my kids whenever I get older. He’s put that mindset in me. And the love and support my mom and my sisters and my grandparents have given me… They go to every ball game. They hardly miss a ball game, and if they do, it’s because they’re watching my sisters play.”

Brad Stroud said a strong work ethic is an attribute he’s instilled in his three children since they were youngsters. Watching Dylan’s hard work and dedication to his craft culminate in his receiving a college scholarship is fulfilling.

“It was very exciting,” Brad Stroud said. “He works every day. Every day he’s like, ‘Dad, can you come throw with me?’ My shoulder’s about gone. I told him a long time ago, if we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it to the best of our ability. We’re going to spend time and we’re going to practice. All three of them, three or four days a week after school, we’re in the cages, we’re throwing. He’s definitely put in the time, and he has the desire. We’re really thankful that Mississippi Delta is taking a chance on him to give him an opportunity to play at the next level.”

With the next step of his academic and athletic careers decided, Stroud, who plans to study sports medicine, said one of the perks of signing early is being able to focus on his senior year with one less distraction. 

“I can just enjoy my last year of baseball, actually, instead of having the pressure of wondering if I’m going to get an offer, wondering if I’m going to sign,” Stroud said. “I can basically just sit back and enjoy my senior. I’m obviously going to work every day…and do extra stuff just to get myself and my body ready for college before I get there.”