He admittedly is a little out of shape, but Scotty McCreery made the cut to earn a spot on Garner High School’s Varsity baseball team. The 18-year-old hasn’t pitched since 2010, and even the coach at his hometown school isn’t sure what to expect from the senior.

“To be honest, Scotty hasn’t had much of a chance to show what he’s got,” Derek Goffena told the Raleigh, N.C. News and Observer. “He has work to do. I’ve talked to Scotty about it and he agrees. He doesn’t need to go out there and pitch unless he is ready.”

“I’ve got work to do,” McCreery said in the same article. “But I think it will come back when I can get home and practice every day instead of one day a week or so.” After this weekend, the majority of his winter and spring touring commitments will be behind him.

McCreery will be used as a relief pitcher, and neither coach nor player knows when he’ll be ready to enter a game. The school’s home opener was on Tuesday (Feb. 28) and the singer promised he’d be there to support his team. The number of spectators is expected to be unusually high for the Garner team all season long. Officials are aware of McCreery’s draw, but say they don’t expect any trouble.

McCreery made the team in 2011, but left for Hollywood before the season began and never returned to play. He’s not known as a flamethrower, instead his curveball is the pitch he relies on to get him out of trouble. Last April, an assistant coach on the Trojan team told a story that showed how competitive the soft-faced singer can be.

“[I] looked to him before the inning [and said], ‘You good to go one more?’” Pake said, remembering a close game against a cross-town rival. “It’s by far the longest he’s went in any game. He just kind of gives you that look: ‘Oh yeah, I’m finishing this thing.’ He went out there, I believe struck out two or three in that inning, ended up throwing a complete game victory. The way he came off the mound, the fire, the passion … it was just vintage.”

More From 101.9 The Bull