“He’s always the first one to the field and the last one to leave. He’d be there helping to set up the dugout with the coaches or he’d be out on the field, raking dirt. There are a lot of kids that want to do the right thing when they know that someone is watching, Judson Griffin is the type of kid that’s going to always do what’s needed and it’s never about calling attention to himself.”

That’s a quote from a Brookhaven Academy parent regarding senior left-handed pitcher Judson Griffin.

Griffin, a leader on and off the field for the Cougars, has been named the 2023 Daily Leader All-Area Most Valuable Player.

A Co-Lin baseball signee, Griffin was a rock on the mound and in the clubhouse for coach Caleb Upton in 2023.

Griffin pitched 62 innings and struck out 81 batters to finish with a team best 2.03 ERA. Playing in a tough MAIS 5A baseball district, he gave up just 18 earned runs while throwing 1,116 pitches during the year.

In his career, he’s played a lot of baseball for the Cougars as Griffin moved up the varsity squad as a junior high player. He got to see what good leadership looked like on a pair of BA baseball title winning teams.

Once it was his turn to lead, Upton says Griffin took to it like a natural.

Back when Griffin inked with Co-Lin, Upton couldn’t say enough good things about the work his senior captain put in.

“Jud is a kid that made the decision he wanted to play college baseball and he knew that he was going to have to work for it and then he did,” said Upton.

At the plate as a senior, he also hit six doubles and batted for a .330 average.

Another thing that Upton has said about Griffin should be music to the ears of his future coaches at Co-Lin.

After Griffin struck out 10 in a playoff win over Central Hinds, Upton said this.

“It was one of those games where you look at Jud and the game he pitched and you think to yourself, I’m glad this guy is on our team,” said Upton of his now MVP southpaw pitcher.