Cape athletes commit to colleges
Nov. 8 was the first NCAA signing day. The ceremonial signings are real, and the kids and colleges are bound to each other, and the greater community gets a heads-up on where some of their players are heading.
Cape showed off five baseball players, including Zack Gelof, University of Virginia; Austin Elliott, University of North Carolina; David Erickson, Liberty University; Zach Savage, Lafayette College; and Reese White, Hampden-Sydney College.
Among field hockey players, Annie Judge signed with Temple University and Jody Boyer will set sail for Shippensburg University. Logan Shuttleworth will play volleyball at West Chester University.
Virginia baseball plays in the ACC, and the Wahoos won the NCAA National Championship in 2015. Coach Brian O’Connor is entering his 15th season. O’Connor has the third-highest winning percentage in all of Division I baseball. Gelof is a position player and pitcher.
Elliott will play for Mike Fox at UNC, who is now in his 20th season. The Tar Heels play in the ACC and have one of the premier college baseball programs in the country with a list of illustrious alumni playing Major League Baseball, including Andrew Miller, Matt Harvey and Kyle Seager. Elliott is a position player and pitcher.
David Erickson is heading to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. The Flames play in the Big South Conference and were 32-23 last season. Scott Jackson is the head coach. Erickson is being recruited as a pitcher. He also plays third base for Cape.
Savage is a position player who also catches. He will play for the Leopards of Lafayette University under head coach Joe Kinney, entering his 18th season. Lafayette was 8-44 last season. They play in the Patriot League. The school is located in Easton, Pa.
White heads to Hampton, Va., to play for the Tigers, a Division III program which plays in the tough ODAC conference. Jeff Kinne is in his 14th season; he has been ODAC Coach of the Year three times and has won 200 games.
Judge will play field hockey for the Owls of Temple University, who finished the 2017 campaign with a record of 4-14. Temple plays in the Big East Conference and is coached by Marybeth Freeman, who spent seven years on the staff at the University of Maryland.
Boyer heads to Shippensburg University to play for the Raiders. Ship, a Division II school, plays in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The Raiders won the 2016 Division II National Championship and are set to defend their title in the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 seed.
Logan Shuttleworth will play volleyball for the West Chester University Golden Rams of the PSAC. Coach Kassie Bellaver is now in her 11th season. The Rams are 21-7 heading into their conference tournament.
Signing day symbolizes a step out and step up in the level of competition. All athletes say the same thing, “In college, everybody can play.” It takes focus and good fortune just to get in the game.
