Vidalia head coach Johnny Lee Hoffpauir has never been in dire need of help in his time at the helm of the Viking baseball program, but he also wouldn’t turn it down.

He got some unexpected help at the beginning of this school year in the form of sophomore Trey Brasher.

Brasher, who started as Huntington’s No. 1 pitcher as an eighth- and ninth-grader and led the Hounds to two straight runner-up finishes in the MPSA playoffs, transferred to Vidalia at the beginning of the school year, and Hoffpauir said the Vikings were ready to welcome him.

“We’re glad to have him,” Hoffpauir said. “He’s adjusting and learning.”

Brasher said there were a multitude of reasons for the move.

“I figured (Vidalia) was a better school,” he said. “I’ve got more friends here. I lost my catcher from last year. He was a senior. There were a lot of reasons that weren’t just baseball.”

After having a great deal of success in the MPSA ranks, Brasher has had to readjust to a different level of competition in the LHSAA ranks.

“(The talent level is) about the same,” he said. “The difference is there’s more depth. There are three or four guys at every position that are almost as good as each other. The biggest difference is depth.”

Brasher said there is a different level of preparation in the public school ranks, as well.

“They’re more fundamentally sound,” he said. “Everybody has played since they were little kids. There’s a lot more players and a lot more choices.”

The adjustment to different associations isn’t easy, however, but Hoffpauir said Brasher is making the switch successfully.

“Trey’s still got to learn some things,” he said. “But he’s the kind of pitcher I call a low-count pitcher. He’s always around the strike zone and he’s always throwing strikes. He’s a control pitcher and they will always win games at the high school level. It’s also nice to have an extra arm. He’s learning to rely on his defense. He’s a good pitcher and a hard worker.”

Brasher said he feels the team and school have accepted him.

“Everybody is fine with me, and I don’t have any problems with anybody,” he said. “I’m just going out there and having fun.”

With three more seasons of high school ball to go, and with two years of heartbreak already under his belt, Brasher said he hopes to reach the ultimate prize before he’s finished.

“I want to win a state championship,” he said. “Being the runner-up just kills you.”