Andalusia High School’s Hogan Nichols received his high school diploma along with the rest of his classmates on Friday night, and the recent graduates plans to take in every minute he has left in Andalusia before heading to Delta State University to play baseball.

“I’m just going to soak in every minute I can in Andalusia,” Nichols said. “Pretty soon, I’m going to be six hours away and I want be able to come home as often. I’m just going to enjoy every minute I have left here.”

Nichols, a standout baseball player, recently signed a scholarship to play baseball at Delta State University in Mississippi.

“I’m really looking forward to playing college baseball,” Nichols said. “It’s going to be a new experience for me.”

Before heading off to college, Nichols said he will be playing summer ball.

“I’m playing for a new team this summer,” Nichols said. “The past few years I played for the East Coast Sox and this year I’m playing with the Florida Grind out of Ft. Walton. All of the coaches on this team are ex Major League Baseball players. They do a good job of getting you in front of pro scouts and for the guys who aren’t signed they also get you exposure to college coaches. We will play games pretty much every week. In between working out and playing baseball, I’m just going to enjoy Andalusia.”

Nichols said that he has been staying in shape to get ready for college baseball.

“I’m on a strict workout and I’m really watching what I eat,” Nichols said. “I’ve been working out with Michael Jackson and Brett Holmes for awhile. They are keeping me in line.”

Moving to Andalusia is something before his eighth grade year is something Nichols said had a big impact on his life.

“You can ask anyone in my family, moving to Andalusia was the best decision we made,” Nichols said. “You really don’t understand how great Andalusia is until you’ve been somewhere else and then come here. Andalusia is doing great things and it’s been amazing to be here.”

Nichols said that AHS head baseball coach Tyler Dent also had a big impact on his life.

“Dent is a hard-nosed type of coach,” Nichols said. “He is a young guy, but he has an old school approach to the game and he stresses playing the game the right way. He pushed me to be my best. He was the type of coach that would crawl you when you needed crawling and he would praise you when you deserved praising. He is all you can ask for as far as coaching guys. He has made me a better player.”