During the school year, baseball and football never interfere for Vidalia High School senior-to-be Tony Tolliver. In the summer, however, Tolliver has to balance both.

Thursday night at the Concordia Recreational Complex, Tolliver was stealing bases for the Home Bank Vikings baseball team. Yet two days prior, Tolliver was breaking up passes for Vidalia at the 7-on-7 football event at Natchez High School.

“I have to do both,” Tolliver said. “I made a commitment to my team. I have to be here for them.”

Tolliver is a two-sport athlete for the Vikings. He plays as a center fielder in baseball and is a strong safety in football.

A typical summer day for Tolliver starts at 7 a.m., which is when Vidalia holds football workouts. There, he lifts weights and then competes in intersquad 7-on-7 games. Then if it is a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday, Tolliver is at the diamond. Except during the month of June. That’s when Tuesdays are for 7-on-7s.

“Sometimes it can be exhausting, for real,” Tolliver said. “Especially if you have two games in a row. On Monday I get up and work out, and then play a game that night. Then on Tuesday I get up and work out, and then I have 7-on-7 that night.

“In between, it’s usually pretty hot. So I go home, rest up and eat. Get some energy back before I head back out to the diamond or the football field.”

Tolliver said the good thing for now is baseball is just primarily games. If he were to make the local Dixie Boys all-star team, however, then practices would be added to his already busy schedule.

Tolliver said he wants to be the best at baseball and football. So participating in both during the summer allows him to stay in peak performance in both sports.

“I’m playing both because I need to but also want to keep on getting better,” Tolliver said. “If I just focused on one right now, then I’m hurting myself in the other because I’m not getting better at that one.”

Though competing in both is about improving, it is also about pleasure for Tolliver. Yet, he said he needs to compete in one activity a day. If Tolliver doesn’t, then he feels he wasted a day.

“I try to at least do one thing every day,” Tolliver said. “If I do that, I know I am getting better.”

While improving is Tolliver’s goal, he said he can’t decide what sport he enjoys the most during the summer.

“It used to be football,” Tolliver said. “But you got to love baseball.”