Introducing our WXXV Student Athlete of the Week, Resurrection Catholic baseball’s Trace Tingle!

Our WXXV Student Athlete of the Week is an extremely talented baseball player who has recently faced a series of trial and tribulations at a very young age, and instead of giving up and calling it quits on the diamond, he continues doing what he loves because he knows it will bring his father great joy. Get to know the incredible young man that is Trace Tingle.

“My dad introduced me to baseball and he’s been there the whole way. I played Dixie Youth baseball until I was like 11 and then played travel ball and now I’m here,” said Trace Tingle.

Senior resurrection catholic baseball player Trace Tingle has grown up consistently with a baseball in hand, and he says playing the sport all these years have taught him valuable life lessons.

“It’s definitely taught me commitment, hard work and work ethic. My favorite part is competing. Being on the mound and competing against the hitters,” said Tingle.

When you see him on the mound and in the batter’s box, there’s no doubt that he’s a competitor. As the ace of the program this year, tingle has struck out 40 of the 75 batters he has faced allowing only 9 free passes and no extra base hits. When it comes to his bat, he has a .297 batting average with eleven hits and eleven runs batted in. Tingle is considered as one of the leaders of this Eagle ball club not just because of what he produces on the field, but how he carries himself on and off the field.

Aron Frederic: “Trace has been a leader of this team and this program for a few years now and he’s probably one of the hardest working individuals that we have,” said Resurrection Catholic Head baseball Coach Aron Frederic.

Hard work isn’t just a suggestion to the Eagles, but it’s an expectation. The past two years, Resurrection Catholic has worked extremely hard, and they have back to back state championship trophies to show for it. 

According to Tingle it was fun to be a part of even from the bench as he had to sit out the season healing from arm surgery.

“It was fun to watch,” said Tingle. “I just tried to be the best teammate I could be, but I did a lot of rehab this off season with my sister who’s a PT, so she got me ready for this year.”

Although Tingle was well prepared physically for his upcoming season, nothing truly prepares anyone for what he experienced towards the end of 2022. In December, his father, Lee Tingle, tragically passed away from a rare brain disease at the age of 52.

His loss was tragically felt not only by Trace, but the entire Resurrection Catholic community, who he loved and served without limits. Just like his father, Trace is a fighter, and instead of seeing the worst in this horrible situation, he uses it for motivation knowing his dad is always by his side.

“He is a big part of my life and he got me into baseball and he worked with me a lot, but it’s just knowing that he’s here with me,” Tingle said.  “He’s my motiviation.”

Frederic: “He has faced adversity and heartache here in the last year and a half, more than any young man needs to go through at this time,” Coach Frederic said. “You see a lot of characteristics of Coach Tingle within Trace and just the way he carries himself and the way he goes about things and the way he works at his craft and the way he comes out here and pretty much leads by example and it’s his work ethic that says a lot and it really speaks to what Lee instilled in him and all of us early on.”

Because of how he carries himself in situations both good and bad, Trace too is an example to the entire Pascagoula community just like his dad was.

“We all look up to Trace because of the way he carries himself and the character he has. His dad was a big part of this program too and I’ve said before we wouldn’t be where we are as a team and been able to accomplish what we’ve accomplished without his dad, Lee Tingle in our lives here with Resurrection Catholic schooling and the baseball program and it means a lot that Trace has been able to get back on the field and I know it means a lot to him and to be able to do honor his dad at the same time,” said Frederic.

Tingle has the perfect plan on how he wants to honor his dad at the end of his high school career.

“Another State Championship!” Tingle said. “Being the leader of this team and going for that next state championship and playing for my dad.”