By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

POPLARVILLE — Former Gulfport High standout Ethan Garner is headed to the next level.

Garner, who provided the game-winning, walk-off hit in extra innings for Pearl River Community College as it captured the JuCo national championship recently, will continue his career at McNeese State.

He helped lead the Wildcats to a 50-11 record this season as well as to their third consecutive MACCC Championship and second NJCAA Division II World Series title in five years.

And even though Garner missed 19 games due to injury, he still hit .311 with a .405 on-base percentage and a .530 slugging percentage. He added 33 runs scored, 21 RBIs and 11 walks, along with nine doubles, four triples and four homers.

And, he saved the best for last.

In the bottom of the 11th inning in the national championship game against South Mountain, and with the game knotted up at 3-3 with two outs and the winning run aboard, Garner stepped to the plate and lifted a towering fly ball into the swirling Oklahoma wind and the ball dropped safely onto the grass in left field, allowing the winning run to score.

Seconds later, the Pearl River dugout emptied onto the field in celebration of a walk-off 4-3 National Championship victory.

In 2025, in his first campaign in Poplarviille, he had his redshirt lifted as a freshman and became an impact bat in the Wildcat lineup as he finished the year with a .333 average, registering eight doubles, five homers and a pair of triples. He drove in 28 runs and scored 32, in helping lead PRCC to an MACCC Championship, a Region 23 title and an NJCAA World Series Runner-up finish.

During his prep days at Gulfport, he earned Class 6A First Team All-State honors his junior season as he helped direct the Admirals to the Class 6A state championship round.