George bids farewell to baseball in Oxford|[6/6/06]

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, June 6, 2006

OXFORD – Aaron George took his position in right field Saturday night for the South Alabama Jaguars and began to hear it.

As the game moved deeper and deeper into the night and the adult beverages began to flow more freely, so did the taunts.

&#8220You got the crowd out there yelling at you the whole game,” the ultra-polite George said.

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And what were they saying? Were they asking how his parents were doing?.

&#8220Yeah,” he said with a wry smile.

George, on the losing end of a 9-7 decision to top-seeded Ole Miss, took it all in Saturday night knowing that his college baseball career was quickly coming to an end.

The senior right fielder who starred on the football and baseball fields of St. Aloysius, played his final game Sunday after spending two seasons at South Alabama in Mobile.

&#8220The experience has been awesome,” said George, who played in the Florida State Regional last season.

As awesome as the experience has been for him, it won’t last. He plans to give up baseball, graduate in December and enroll in medical school. His family and girlfriend were in Oxford for the weekend series.

Former Flashes coach Joe Graves said George was the first player that he could remember from St. Al to play Division I baseball.

&#8220I had about 16 or 17 play college baseball, maybe more than that,” said Graves, who coached George throughout his high school career. &#8220But he is the only one in Division 1.”

George had two successful seasons at Meridian Community College, hitting .321 with 12 homers and 44 RBIs in 2004. In his first season in Mobile, the righty moved almost exclusively to the outfield and made an immediate impact, hitting .339 with five home runs. His .524 slugging percentage was fourth on the team.

He struggled this season hitting .247. His home run on Saturday night that gave the Jaguars a 4-2 lead over Ole Miss ended an 0-for-23 slump.

&#8220That felt so good to finally hit a home run,” he said after the 9-7 loss. &#8220I’ve been hitting the ball, but it’s been right at people and I haven’t been hitting it solid. It felt real good.”

The Jaguars were beaten 18-11 on Sunday by Tulane, ending their season at 39-21.

Graves said watching George play in the regionals is another example of how hard work and dedication can pay off.

George was a standout student as well as an athlete.

&#8220He’s done a great job down there and we are all proud of him,” Graves said.