Hunter Austin insists he was happy playing baseball at Northwest Mississippi Community College. He goes out of his way, in fact, to praise the school’s coaching staff and say he had fun in his one year there.

He was just really tired of paying for gas whenever he came home for the weekend.

Getting to play for a national championship contender was just a nice bonus.

Austin, a former Warren Central star, transferred from Northwest to Hinds Community College last summer. He’s since become a key contributor for the Eagles as they pursue a second straight trip to the NJCAA World Series.

Hinds will host the MACJC state tournament beginning today. Austin’s old school, Northwest, will face East Mississippi at 2 p.m. and his new one Hinds plays Meridian at 6.

“It was nothing with Northwest. I had a great time at Northwest, but it was 3 1/2 hours away and a $100 gas bill. That’s pretty rough,” said Austin, a sophomore catcher. “I knew Hinds was winning, I knew they went to the World Series and I watched them all the way through it. I said if I can do it at (Northwest), why not. So I got my release and talked to (Hinds coach Sam) Temple and he was happy to have me.”

Indeed he was.

Junior college teams play about 20 doubleheaders during the regular season — one seven-inning game and one nine-inning game — so having two quality catchers is a necessity for any successful team.

“One catcher just can’t survive that,” said Temple, a Vicksburg native who was a catcher in high school and junior college.

Hinds already had sophomore Jonathan Washam, who is hitting a team-best .373 and usually catches the first game of the doubleheader. Austin takes the second game.

“The second game has never been a bad deal for me, because I always get that first day off. I get to study their pitchers for a whole day,” Austin said. “I can always tell Jonathan (Washam) if I see something wrong with him, and he does the same for me. It’s good, because we both get rest.”

Washam and Austin have formed a strong tag team that has helped Hinds to a 38-5 record, a No. 3 national ranking, and the top seed in the MACJC state tournament.

Austin hit .349 last season at Northwerst, but that has slipped to just .228 this year with two home runs and eight RBIs. He missed two weeks in April because of an illness.

Despite that, Temple said, Austin has had some timely hits and provided a steadying defensive presence.

“We really needed Hunter to round out this team this year. Being able to pick him up was huge for us,” Temple said. “He’s a veteran, seasoned catcher who does a lot of great things for us. We wouldn’t be where we are without him.”

More than anything Austin does with the bat or glove, Temple added, was what he does with his mind.

Austin is a student of the game who plays hard and brings a positive attitude to the dugout. Temple praised Austin’s “intangibles,” while even Austin admitted that hustling to make plays was his favorite part of the game.

“That’s my game. If I’m not dirty at the end of the game, I didn’t play,” Austin said. “I just love being in the dirt. If I’m not dirty, then something happened or I’m DHing. I at least have to slide into second base if I do something good.”

While his position partner Washam has already signed with Louisiana Tech, Austin is still waiting for a four-year offer. A couple of schools have been in contact, but no firm offers have been made.

Austin wasn’t worried. Being part of a successful program — besides its on-field success, Hinds has had a dozen players from this year’s team sign with four-year programs — will give him plenty of exposure, he said, and he expects to play somewhere in 2016.

More than confidence or cockiness, it’s that he just can’t imagine not playing the game he loves so much.

“If I’m not, then I’m going to be in a state of depression,” Austin said with a chuckle. “This is my game. It’s my life.”