As Whipsnakes coach Jim Stagnitta gathered his offense together in the quarter of Week 5 in Georgia, he reminded them of a philosophy they discussed in practice.

If they’re hoping to beat Redwoods goalie Tim Troutner, they’ll need to work the pick and pass game.

“If he sees it, he’s going to save it,” Stagnitta said.

It’s high praise for a rookie, but Troutner has earned it.

The former High Point Panther has made a swift transition from college to the professional ranks at arguably the hardest position to succeed right away at. He’s the only first-year pro heading to Los Angeles this weekend for the Premier Lacrosse League’s first All-Star Game at Banc of California Stadium.

“It was yesterday I feel like I was just playing in college,” Troutner said. “It’s a pretty cool experience. Guys in this league, I came in and they welcomed me with open arms and tried to help me any way they can.”

He’s the favorite for the league’s top rookie honor, yet Troutner entered the season not knowing if he’d even see the field.

The initial Redwoods roster head coach Nat St. Laurent received in the spring featured a proven starting goalie in Jack Kelly, an all-world and championship-winning keeper. The only issue? He was injured, meaning St. Laurent would have to find an unproven starter to roll out at the beginning of the season.

“In training camp, we were very nervous,” St. Laurent admitted. “We had two Tewaaraton winners that were not with us in Peter Baum and Dylan Molloy. And then you had a world team goalie that wasn’t practicing, wasn’t able to play.”

Troutner, fresh off the disappointment of the Panthers missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid, was pitted against Gunnar Waldt for the starting role at training camp down at IMG Academy.

“He came into training camp with something to prove,” St. Laurent said. “I think he was motivated that High Point got snubbed. … He wanted to come in and prove he was as good as anybody in the country.”

While he certainly would have preferred to play in the postseason, getting the chance to travel to Florida was the first step in Troutner’s PLL emergence.

“Training camp was a huge part of it,” Troutner said. “If I didn’t get to go to training camp, I think it would have been harder to play, get the starting role, because Coach doesn’t get to see you at that level. And you don’t get to meet the guys and get that team chemistry.”

The decision, as detailed in the league’s training camp documentary, wasn’t clear cut. St. Laurent said the staff made the call in the days leading up to the season opener.

“I think Gunnar is a very good goalie,” St. Laurent said. “Timmy just made some cleaner saves and got us up and out a little faster. That just boiled down to be the difference.”

The documentary also touched on the difficulty any goalie faces jumping to the next level. In both indoor and outdoor, it’s common for a keeper to take a few years as a backup to get adjusted.

“I think any sport, being a rookie is tough,” teammate Kyle Harrison said in the doc, which originally aired on NBCSN. “Add in rookie goalie and that’s really tough. The transition from college shooters to professional shooters is a big step up from a velocity standpoint and an accuracy standpoint.”

Troutner credits his teammates and coaches in college for his quick rise.

 “All the coaches I’ve ever had have just told me to keep my head down and go to work,” Troutner said.

He also faced plenty of rubber while at High Point, preparing him for the high-octane action fueled by the PLL’s shortened shot clock. He was 18th in the country in saves per game in his senior year, facing 617 shots over the 16-game season.

“When I was talking to coach [Redwoods assistant Dom Marzano] two weeks ago when we were playing in D.C., he was like, ‘That’s why we liked you. You saw so many balls,’” Troutner said. “I think it does help. … You’ve always got to be ready.”

Troutner made 17 saves in his professional debut, an 11-9 victory against Atlas in Gillette Stadium. Since, there hasn’t been any talk of taking him out. He’s fourth in the league in save percentage and saves made and has backed the Redwoods to a 4-2 record at the break.

He’s commanding a strong Redwoods defense with a built-in Notre Dame flair.

“Definitely a little bit of two different kinds of defenses I’ve seen between High Point and Notre Dame, but these guys are legit,” Troutner said. “I’ve definitely just started to ask them questions and they’ve given me feedback, which is huge.”

Troutner was drafted onto Team Baptiste for the All-Star Game, set for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN. He’ll be coached by St. Laurent and will get the chance to play alongside teammates Garrett Epple, Matt Landis, Matt Kavanagh and Harrison.

“I really wanted to go to L.A.,” Troutner said. “I think it’s going to be a pretty cool experience to show what else I can do against the best.”