THE FLATS – Redshirt junior Ben King (Calhoun, Ga./Calhoun HS) was honored on Monday when he was named to the inaugural Lou Gehrig Community Impact Team, which will recognize annually the giving character and community impact of college baseball players.
Honorees were nominated by their schools and the team was selected based on outstanding achievements in three key areas:
- Demonstrating a substantial commitment to their community through service and philanthropy;
- Embodying the general spirit and character of Lou Gehrig;
- Making remarkable contributions to the success of their respective teams.
King has been the epitome of a Georgia Tech student-athlete, excelling both in the classroom and on the field, while still finding time to devote to the community. With his desire to go into medicine when he’s done on The Flats, King has sought volunteer efforts in Atlanta that help others, while learning in his field.
His community involvement includes:
- Good Samaritan Health Center, Atlanta, Volunteer Medical Assistant Intern
- Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Volunteer
- Dream on 3, Captain and Founder of Georgia Tech Collegiate Dream Team
- Covid-19 SOS Hotline, Volunteer Caller
- Georgia Tech Student-Athlete Advisory Board, President, Vice President, Chairman
- NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
- ACC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Representative
- Boy Scouts of America Peach of an Athlete Award Winner
- ACC Top Six for Service
Now a captain for the Yellow Jackets, King overcame injuries during his first two seasons at Georgia Tech to become their most consistent pitcher last season. In 2023, he made 25 appearances and registered a 6-2 record with a 3.73 ERA. He is also a four-time ACC Academic Honor Roll recipient and a member of the 2023 All-ACC Academic Team and CSC Academic All-District Team.
“Ben King has been a role model for our team for his entire career, and I can’t think of anyone better suited for this award,” Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall said. “He went from a walk-on to our most valuable pitcher in 2023. He has been president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Board at Tech, an academic All-District selection in an ultra-competitive biology major at Georgia Tech, and a team captain. In addition to this, he has been a part of several community service projects with our team and other athletes at Tech. Next year, he will enter medical school and ultimately enter a profession to continue serving others. For our season this year, he will wear No. 21 to honor former MLB and Georgia Tech pitcher Jim Poole who passed away this year from ALS.”
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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