ELLISVILLE – Jones County Junior College baseball signee Billy Hamilton was taken in the second round by the Cincinnati Reds in the Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday.

Hamilton, a multi-sport standout at Taylorsville High School, signed as a shortstop with JCJC. He also signed a football scholarship with Mississippi State University.

He was chosen as a first-team All-State player in baseball by Jackson’s Clarion-Ledger and was also All-State in football and basketball. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound standout was named the South’s MVP in its 9-4 win over the North in last Saturday’s 5A/4A Crossroads Diamond Club All-Star Game at Trustmark Park in Pearl.

Hamilton was the 57th overall selection in the draft.

This past season under coach Dusty Hillman at Taylorsville, Hamilton hit .448 with four home runs, 28 RBIs, 13 doubles and 26 stolen bases.