Each June the past couple summers, Jordan Henry has trekked north. Playing in wood bat leagues around the country, he dilligently prepared for the day when he’d make the same trip as a professional.

The day has come.

Henry, an All-Southeastern Conference center fielder for Ole Miss this spring, has embarked on his pro career as a member of the Cleveland Indians organization. He signed with the team after being picked in the seventh round of June’s Major League Baseball draft, and was assigned to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the Class A New York-Penn League.

Henry, who also starred at Vicksburg High, had another year of eligibility at Ole Miss. He said he felt ready to move on to pro ball, though, and a high draft position — as well as the approximately $100,000 signing bonus that came with it — didn’t hurt.

“They drafted me in the seventh round and I thought it was a great opportunity. Too good to pass up. I was ready to go to the next level,” Henry said. “It’s good enough money to be able to go with it.”

The New York-Penn League season is only a month old — it’s a short-season league for first-year players that runs from mid-June to early September — but Henry does indeed seem ready.

He had hits in seven of his first 11 games as a professional, and had hit safely in nine of his last 10 heading into the weekend. He’s hitting .365 in July, and .333 for the season, with eight stolen bases and 17 runs scored.

“I feel like I’m swinging the bat well the first couple days,” Henry said. “I was a little rusty with the wood bat. But the more pitches I see, the more confident I’ll get.”

Using a metal bat, Henry had a career average of .341 in three seasons at Ole Miss. He hit .343 this past season. But the lanky 21-year-old has also proven his ability with a wood bat.

He was sixth in hitting last summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League, one of the major proving grounds for aspiring pro players. Henry posted a .335 average for the Bourne Braves, was third in the league with 12 stolen bases and second with 60 hits. He also led the league with 42 runs scored, showcasing his future in the pro ranks as a run producer at the top of the order.

“There’s less margin of error with a wood bat. You can’t get as good of contact with it. You can’t hit it as far, which doesn’t matter much to me,” laughed Henry, who hit two home runs in his entire college career and none in high school.

The Cape Cod League, which plays a 42-game season between mid-June and early August, also prepared Henry for becoming an everyday player. It’s a valuable skill to have as he begins the long climb toward the big leagues.

“It’s a lot like Cape Cod. I was able to face a lot of pitchers that I’ve seen up here,” Henry said of the New York-Penn League. “I’m just trying to get used to playing every day. In this league we may have one day off and that’s because you’re traveling.”

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com