Seth Darling’s career plans are sky high, and Middle Georgia College will help propel him upward.
Darling is a 2022 Gilmer High School honor graduate with distinction, and he is set to attend MGC and play baseball for the Knights. The move will allow Darling to continue to play the sport he loves as he works toward attaining a commercial pilot’s license.
Darling also considered LaGrange College and Toccoa Falls but MGC offered the perfect package.
“I’ll be doing their aviation program and school comes before sports,” he said. “That’s what I want to do with my life, and they have a really good program that can get you in with Delta straight out of aviation school. That sets me up for life, and I get to do what I love.”
Darling gained a fondness for flying as a child, which has continued to grow over the years. He has been working on his private license, and MGC will give him what he needs to fly commercially.
“I’ve done about eight to 10 hours of flying in the air, and I’m almost to a solo flight. Once I do a solo flight, then I’ll do one cross-country, then I’ll be ready to get my private license.
“At Middle Georgia, most don’t come in with a private license. But since I’ll have that, I’ll start working on the classes I need, and I’ll be able to start training for my commercial license. The main thing I’m excited for is that I’ll get most of those hours needed to be a commercial pilot at Middle Georgia instead of having to rent a plane or do lessons.”
Darling also weighed the decision of playing football in college. He was a three-year starting quarterback for the Bobcats and was contacted by Huntington College and Reinhardt University. However, baseball strikes a chord that football does not.
“I love both sports, but with baseball, there’s nothing like that feeling of throwing a strike and throwing gas; it’s just different,” he said.
“With football (at GHS), I’m glad I stuck with it. There have been a lot of players who quit with a lot of potential who didn’t stick with the program and didn’t give it time. I’m just happy I stuck with it and kept getting better. It taught me a lot about determination.”
Darling got his start on the baseball diamond in the rec leagues. He also joined a local travel team as a youngster and played with them until he reached middle school. He also played basketball in middle school and noted college sports are something he always considered. Once in high school, he knew he was cut out for it.
“I’ve always had that desire,” he said. “There were a lot of times when I thought I stood out on our team, but there were really times where we’d play other teams, and I’d dominate against them. That showed me I could do this at the next level.”
Darling’s sophomore baseball season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he took the mound as a staring varsity pitcher as a junior. He continued in that role as a senior and earned an all-region honorable mention.
He tossed 42 1/3 innings, won three games and saved two more. He allowed 33 earned runs, walked 34 and struck out 74 to cap his GHS career.
Darling has hit the high 80s on the radar gun. He relies on four main pitches, and they include two- and four-seam fastballs, a curve ball and slider.
“I really want to develop my changeup. I got it going really good in the offseason, but then kind of lost it throughout the season. That’s the main focus for me,” he said.
Darling attended four showcases ahead of his senior baseball season. While they do offer exposure, Darling was interested in other aspects as well.
“When I go to camps, it’s not really to get recruited but to see where I stand against other players. They also do things like track your velocity and give you diagnostics about how you are as an athlete at your position,” he said.
“But they also do offer scholarships. That’s kind of what happened with Middle Georgia. They watch and evaluate, and if you’re at that level, they talk to you afterward.”
His decision was solidified after a visit to MGC’s Cochran campus where he met the team.
“The campus is beautiful, and the program seemed really together,” Darling said. “I really liked the atmosphere, and it feels like a place where I can really focus on what I need to do to better myself. I got to go to a camp there, and I was around the players the whole time.”
Darling has predominantly been a starting pitcher throughout his career. He is unsure how he will be used at MGC, but coaches have indicated he could see the field as a freshman.
“They said I may get some starts. I’ve always started, but back when we played Fannin at home, relieving is just a different kind of energy,” Darling said in reference to his save versus the Rebels. “I get more riled up in relief situations and more dialed in.”
MGC is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and the Knights compete in the Southern States Athletic Conference.