While their season doesn’t start for another three months, the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee baseball team started their season off strong with five seniors signing to play in college last Wednesday.
Outfielder Lewis Rodriguez signed to play at Marist, left handed pitcher Luke Earnhardt and right handed pitcher and infielder Dylan Alonso signed to play at Middle Tennessee State, infielder and outfielder Armani Guzman signed with West Virginia, while first baseman, designated hitter and catcher Brady Roulier signed with Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Coach Clark Wright, who has been with the team since 2019-20, said he’s incredibly proud of the seniors.
“When they came in, we were really setting the foundation for what our program was going to be,” Wright said. “They really pushed that and grew to the next level. They’re such hard workers, they’ve shown a lot of passion for their dreams which is incredible.”
Wright said his favorite memory of the seniors comes from last year’s playoff push, where the seniors helped lead the Eagles to a Final Four berth.
“Just seeing them work, they never gave up even in the Final Four loss to Charlotte Christian,” Wright said.
The Eagles went 14-7-1 last season, including winning eight of their last nine games before falling in the Final Four.
Last year Rodriguez led the team with a .405 average. Guzman was right behind him with a .400 average. Roulier went .458 in 44 at bats. Alonso had 48 strikeouts and a 1.909 ERA. Earnhardt went 5-0 in seven starts, striking out 58 with a 1.267 ERA.
Since 2017, the Eagles have had eight baseball players sign to play at college. In just the early signing class, the class of 2023 nearly meets that number.
“Before I came here the program was already doing pretty well,” Wright said. “As a coach, like all coaches, I see it as my job to develop and improve these things and keep getting better. We’re starting to get looks at bringing in players from Japan, the Bahamas and Brazil. That’s extremely special.”
Wright offers one piece of advice to the community as these seniors embark on one last season in an Eagles uniform.
“Keep your eyes on them,” Wright said. “I’m extremely proud of them and they’re going out there to make us proud, they’ve got a very bright future. I can’t wait for them to play college ball, I’m going to be there visiting them.”