PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast pitcher Hayden Robb has pounded his way to a major comeback on the field, and that hard work has paid off with a scholarship at the Next Level.

The sophomore from Vancleave signed to continue his collegiate career with Division I Southeastern Louisiana. The Lions play in the rugged Southland Conference.

“I felt like that was my best opportunity to play at this point in my career being a third-year guy,” he said. “I like the program, the mentality they bring. I enjoyed it when I went on a visit there. I’m really fond of their coaching staff. I think it’s going to be a good run for me.”

Robb made a strong return from Tommy John surgery last season, going 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA in his first three starts since high school. He had an eye-popping 22 strikeouts in 14 innings, with just seven walks.

He pitched six dominant innings in a 6-0 shutout of Nunez in the final Gulf Coast game of the abbreviated 2020 season. He struck out 10 in that start.

“Robb has that competitive edge as a player,” Gulf Coast coach Wes Thigpen said. “He will himself to get the job done and make himself great. It’s hard to find in players. It’s hard to recruit, but he has that and has been a big asset for our program.”

Southeastern has been coached by Matt Riser the last seven seasons, and the Lions have won three NCAA Tournament berths and two Southland Conference titles since 2014.

Robb hopes to build on the hard work he’s put in the last two seasons for the Bulldogs this spring. He’s taking solid lessons learned from his time in Perkinston.

“It’s the mentality we have on the field,” he said. “The approach we have with our guys, it works well with the way I play the game. It’s an attack mentality.”

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