Niceville Local Rece Hinds Crushes Big League Debut!

In Brief:

Niceville’s Rece Hinds hit a double and a home run in his Major League debut for the Cincinnati Reds, leading to a 6-0 victory over the Rockies.
Hinds’ emotional journey included a call-up from the Louisville Bats and a drive from Kentucky to Ohio, as detailed in an MLB.com article.
Hinds previously played for Niceville High School and IMG Academy, earning accolades such as the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 7A State Player of the Year.

It really doesn’t get better for a major league sports debut than Niceville Native Rece Hinds’s three at-bats with the Cincinnati Reds on July 8th.

After all, the one-time Niceville High School player hit a legged-out, full-effort double to inspire the fans at the Great American Ballpark before hitting a home run that reached the second deck of the left-center field bleachers.

Hinds went two-for-three with a single RBI on that home run after getting the call-up to play. The Reds would beat the Rockies 6-0 at home on the evening – and end a three-game skid from an interleague home stand against the Detroit Tigers.

According to a story on MLB.com, Hinds had a VERY emotional afternoon in the lead-up to the game. He got a call from AAA Louisville Bats Manager Pat Kelly, called his mom (Niceville resident Michelle) and made the hour-and-a-half-drive from Kentucky to Ohio to play in the show.

MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon quoted him as saying, “Honestly, when I was driving up from Louisville, I was a wreck,” he said. “I probably teared up a couple of times driving up. I didn’t eat anything all day.” Additionally, again from Sheldon, his home run was the “2nd longest by player in MLB debut since 2015.”

The Reds host the Rockies again on July 9th at 6:10 PM.

The Reds on the outside of the playoff hunt, looking in for the moment. They sit in fourth place in the NL Central with a 44-48 record. They are already ten games behind Milwaukee before the All-Star Break.

Rece Hinds at Niceville High School

According to MaxPreps, Hinds’ last season with the Eagles was the 2017-2018 campaign, where the team went 24-4. He was named to the site’s “2018 MaxPreps Underclass All-American Baseball Team“ and earned the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 7A State Player of the Year. That year, he had an almost .500 batting average, more than 50 RBIs and 13 home runs.

Hinds would transfer after his junior season to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. At IMG, he would help the Ascenders to a 18-7 record with a .361 batting average, 17 RBIs and two home runs.