NATCHEZ — In a couple of weeks, one Natchez High student will get to do something very few people have ever had the pleasure to do, and he has his artwork to thank.

NHS junior Darryl Dade won an art contest sponsored by the Mississippi Braves baseball team and will throw out the first pitch at the Braves’ home opener at Trustmark Park in Pearl on April 23.

The Mississippi Braves are a AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball.

Dade, who played baseball as a youth, is looking forward to standing out on the mound in a professional baseball stadium in front of a large crowd.

“I’m going to try and throw a strike,” Dade said. “I played ball for a few years, but I was a first baseman and didn’t throw the ball that much.”

However, as exciting as throwing out the first pitch is, Dade is even more thrilled that his drawing will be screen printed on T-shirts that will be given away at the park that night.

“To see all the fans wearing a shirt with my drawing on it is really exciting,” he said. “I’m probably more excited about that than throwing out the first pitch.”

Dade, who said he would like to study architecture in college, said he has been drawing and designing things since he can remember.

“When I was 3 or 4-years-old, there’s a home video of me getting a painting board for Christmas,” Dade said. “I guess I’ve been drawing ever since.”

Dade’s computer systems technology teacher in NHS’s Fallin Career and Technogy Center Shannon Burts said Dade’s talent was evident from a drawing he did of her daughter.

“He saw a digital photo of my little girl and drew a picture of her based off of that,” Burts said. “When he was done, we compared the drawing to the photo and it was to a T. So I had it framed.”

Burts and Fallin Career and Technology Center vocational director Linda Grafton search the Internet for different contests for Dade to enter to show off his artistic talent, which has led him to win numerous awards.

Burts said that teachers tapping into Dade’s love of art has made him a better student overall and encouraged that approach with all students.

“(Art) has been a great motivator to keep him on top of things,” Burts said. “We found what he enjoyed doing and adapted it to what we need to do. You have to spend time knowing what the kids’ interests are and tapping in on that.”

And both Burts and Grafton said it has been fun watching Dade improve both in the classroom and with his artistic skill.

“Darryl is a good kid,” Burts said. “It’s been neat to watch him grow over the last two years, both as a student and with his artwork.”