At 5-foot-10 and 158 pounds, you might not think he has a realistic shot at playing professional sports. Then again, he’s only 12 years old.

And in those 12 years, Timmy Foster has built a pretty impressive sports resume.

He plays point guard in basketball and is the Adams County Christian School seventh-grade football team’s quarterback. The team is 5-0 for the year.

Many local sports fans remember his pitching heroics in this summer’s Dixie Youth 11-12 All-Star World Series in Marshall, Texas, and the Natchez-Wallace team’s trip through district and state play to get there.

The Series was not his first time in the national spotlight however. Timmy won a national title in his age group last year in the Gatorade Punt, Pass and Kick competition.

Timmy competed first at Huntington School somewhat on a whim, his father, Tim Foster, said.

&uot;We happened to be driving through Vidalia at the time and we heard it on the radio,&uot; Foster said. &uot;I asked his if he wanted to try it, and he said, ‘Sure.’&uot;

Timmy soon advanced to the next level of competition in New Roads, La. After winning there, he went to the Superdome in New Orleans.

The national event was held in Jacksonville, Fla., where the competition was &uot;a little bit harder,&uot; he said. But not hard enough to beat him.

When this year’s local punt, pass and kick competition was again held at Huntington, it surprised few when the winner of the 12-year-old division was announced.

Is this the beginning of another run at the Superdome and Jacksonville?

&uot;Probably,&uot; he said. &uot;I hope so.&uot;

Despite Timmy’s obvious football skills, his ambitions lie on the baseball diamond.

&uot;I’ve played baseball more than football,&uot; he said. &uot;It’s more challenging. And I enjoy it more.&uot;

Although college is quite a few years distant, Timmy said he wants to attend Mississippi State University, where he will, of course, play baseball.

With As and Bs in school, college shouldn’t be a problem. His next goal — playing professional baseball — will be slightly harder to obtain.

&uot;I’ve probably got a good shot at it,&uot; he said, adding that his first choice of teams would be the Atlanta Braves.

Before launching his professional career, however, Timmy will finish his education here in Natchez, where he has lived since 1995.

Born in New Orleans in 1988, Timmy and his parents, Tim and Angie Foster, originally moved to Natchez in 1993. After a brief move to Virginia, the family returned to the Miss-Lou.