Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers

Over two seasons with the Rangers, Jay King left a major imprint on the program, becoming one of the best hitters the school has ever seen, hitting over .300 in his career and helping carry the Rangers to a combined record of 61-34 in his two seasons in red and blue. 

Coming from Bruce High School where he helped the Trojans to a State Championship as a senior, King was already a standout on the diamond. He was named a four-time All-District selection and a two-time All-State selection at the 2A level as a two-way player, earning him the NEMCABB Player of the Year award.  

At Northwest, he didn’t slow down. As a freshman, King earned the starting spot at shortstop, playing 49 games and hitting an impressive .296 with a pair of doubles, four home runs, 20 RBIs and 27 runs scored. That included a walk off home run against East Mississippi. He was also stellar in the field as a freshman, posting a fielding percentage of 936 on 172 chances. That earned him Second-Team All-State honors, and he added a MACJC Player of the Week to go with it.  

That was all just a prelude to the season he put together as a sophomore.  

In 44 games, King tore the cover off the ball, hitting a blistering .424 in 144 at bats, driving in 56 RBIs while scoring 41 times himself. He added to his extra-base tallies, picking up 20 total, which included 13 doubles, a triple, and six home runs for a .653 slugging percentage. He also only struck out 10 times and had an on-base percentage just shy of .500. In the field, he was just as strong, picking up 99 assists and 57 put outs for a .934 fielding percentage.  

The stellar sophomore year earned King Third-Team All-American honors, as well as joining the All-State baseball team for a second consecutive season.  

After Northwest, King would commit to continue his career at Ole Miss, but decided to pursue a different career instead, attending Mississippi State where he graduated with a master’s in education, and he taught at his alma mater while coaching baseball for three years.  

He moved on from teaching to start his own business, 3K Pallets. He also created an outdoor/hunting YouTube channel called 3K Productions. He married Erin Claire King, and has two children, Addy and Tucker