Florida Georgia Line star turned his back on baseball to become a country success

Florida Georgia Line star Brian Kelley credits baseball for his success as a country star, revealing the sport taught him everything he needed to knowabout showbusiness.

The Cruise hitmaker almost played the sport professionally after shining as a left-handed pitcher in college and he now believes his sporting past helped him prepare for what was to come as one half of one of country music's most successful duos.

"It didn't work out for me... but I played through college and it was a blast," he told Access Hollywood Live. "I learned a lot about life, about sports, about teamwork, about being a leader, and it kinda set me up for what we do."

But Kelley still wonders what would have happened if his fastball was faster.

"I threw, like, mid-to-high 80s (miles per hour)," he explains. "I had a good change-up (ball). I was a lefty, so I didn't have to throw it as hard. It would've been nice if I'd thrown about 97 or 98... I always wanted to but I just couldn't figure it out."

The country star still fires up his arm when he's on the road.

"We play a lot of catch," bandmate Tyler Hubbard laughed.