If You Can't Join Them, Beat Them

Nick Marigny and his family relocated to Atlanta from his hometown of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina destroyed their home. He and his sister enrolled at my Alma Mater Westlake High School in Atlanta, GA.  Nick and his family applied to become a LEADer in the fall of 2009 as a part of our Legacy League.  After 3 months of academic, athletic, service and enrichment development, he earned the right to become a L.E.A.D. Ambassador.

His long term goal was to play baseball for Louisiana State University.  With LSU being a powerhouse baseball program with a legacy of excellence, I couldn't blame him for dreaming big.  However, I couldn't support that dream because I didn't feel that he was physically and mentally ready to play at that level.

Nick graduated from Westlake High School at the age of 16 and played baseball for two years at Southern Union Junior College in Alabama.  He is now a junior at Jackson State University where he, his teammates and coaches have earned the right and privilege of being the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Champions.

Nick Marigny holding the 2013 SWAC Championship trophy

As fate would have it, on Friday, May 31st, Nick will be the starting shortstop for the Jackson State Tigers when they face the LSU Tigers in the NCAA Baseball Regional held at LSU. Nick wasn't mentally and physically ready to play at that level back then, but he is definitely mentally and physically ready to compete against them this Friday. Continued success to Coach Omar Johnson and his staff and the entire Jackson State Tigers team!

L.E.A.D.'s mission is to create positive outcomes for at-risk, minority, inner city youth by leveraging the relationship between academics, athletics and service. We don't play baseball just to win games; we play to win at the game of life!