Richmond Hill’s Leighton Finley to play college baseball at Georgia
RICHMOND HILL, Ga. — Multiple athletes from Richmond Hill High School signed letters of intent to play baseball and other sports in college this past week. One of the top stars who will be continuing his playing career in college is pitcher and shortstop Leighton Finley. He will be playing baseball at the University of Georgia.
The effort comes as the official signing period for high school athletes begins. High school athletes who wish to continue playing in college can make their official declarations over where they will be playing in the future. The work is about ensuring college programs will have an idea of what to expect out of the coming season and how people will be competitive.
Finley committed to playing for the Bulldogs last year. He made his decision to play for the school in Athens official by signing his letter of intent with the Bulldogs. His commitment comes despite many other schools having tried to sign him during the past year, as he has shown to be one of the more competitive baseball stars in the state this past year.
Finley has been a prominent dual threat for Richmond Hill’s baseball team. He was the Region 2-6A player of the year last season, as he had a .362 average with 25 RBI. He also pitched 46.1 innings and had a 4-4 record. His pitching total was a 1.52 ERA with 67 strikeouts versus five walks.
Baseball isn’t the only sport that Finley plays. He also plays on the school’s basketball team. He started the baseball season a little late this past year due to the basketball team going a little further in the playoffs.
“Having that one guy in the lineup can get your whole team turned around,” baseball coach Scott Strickland said to the Savannah Morning News about Finley. “He gives you the tools you need to stretch your lineup.”
Finley’s decision to play at Georgia comes despite an offer from Georgia Tech to play there instead. Finley’s older brother, Jackson Finley, is a pitcher with the Yellow Jackets.
Finley is one of many Richmond Hill athletes who signed letters of intent for playing in college. Fellow baseball player Luke Boone will play for Georgia State, while Evan Cowan will join Georgia College.
These moves for the baseball players come following a strong 2021 campaign for the Wildcats. The team went 17-16 during the season and won a playoff series against Evans before losing to Houston County.
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