Throughout his high school baseball career, Will Pierce has had to deal with a lot of setbacks and disappointments. On Wednesday, he put all of those behind him as he charted a path toward a bright future.

Pierce, a senior outfielder and pitcher at St. Aloysius, signed a letter of intent with Hinds Community College during a morning ceremony in the school’s library. It was the high point — so far — of a baseball career marked by tremendous promise and a number of frustrating injuries.

“It’s been a dream of mine to play college baseball since I was 7 years old,” Pierce said. “My 10th grade year, when I blew my knee out, I definitely had my doubts. I played all that next summer and got my name out there and made it back.”

Pierce suffered a knee injury while playing football in eighth grade, but made it back onto the playing field for baseball season. He was second on the team in hitting, with a .387 average, and pegged as a future superstar by coaches and scouts alike.

As a freshman he hit .369 with 21 RBIs, but suffered a case of appendicitis right before St. Al’s first playoff series. Six games into the 2014 season he stepped awkwardly while rounding first base in a game at Bazinsky Field and injured his right knee again.

The second knee injury was devastating. Pierce tore his meniscus and dislocated his kneecap.

“His patella was upside down,” Pierce’s father, Paul Pierce, said.

Will Pierce missed the rest of the 2014 baseball season and saw his status as a top recruit fade. He made it back for the 2015 season, however, and hit .407. He was picked to play in the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s first-ever juniors all-star game and re-established himself as a college prospect.

“It’s been a long road, but it’s paid off,” Will Pierce said.

Several junior colleges in Mississippi recruited Pierce, but when Hinds came calling it didn’t take him long to say yes. Its proximity to Vicksburg was nice, he said, but even better was the baseball program’s reputation for winning and for turning out Division I caliber players with assembly line efficiency.

Hinds had 16 players from its 2015 roster sign with four-year schools. Four more from the 2016 team, including former Warren Central star Carlisle Koestler, have already signed.

“With the tradition (Hinds coach) Sam (Temple) has of getting players to the D-I level, it definitely influenced my decision,” Pierce said. “It’s got great facilities, it’s close to home, my parents can come watch me. All that good stuff.”

In addition to being a top athlete, Pierce is a star student. He was the starting quarterback for St. Al’s football team this season, has a 3.8 GPA and scored a 24 on the ACT. Paul Pierce said he was proud of his son not just for what he’s accomplished but the way he’s done it — by working hard and overcoming adversity.

“You’re proud of him on any number of levels,” Paul Pierce said. “First and foremost is academically, which is what this is all about. Then the mental toughness and fortitude. It’s tough to come back from that. Athletically, that’s a combination of intelligence and hard work, because it takes a lot of hard work to get to the point of signing a baseball scholarship somewhere.”