Sandites Sign Three on College Signing Day
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This story was originally written for the Tulsa World.
Three Sand Springs Sandites made their college selections official Wednesday morning at the Ed Dubie Field House on National Signing Day.
Raegan Rector and Avery Tanner signed to play softball at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, a four-year private school in Bartlesville that competes in the NAIA and Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
The two were both All District and All Region selections this year, and Rector was named to the All State team, while Tanner was named an All State alternate. The Sandites went 89-44 during their four-year careers and twice advanced to the State tournament.
“The big thing for me is, number one, they’re great kids,” said Wesleyan head coach Shawn Woods. “They’re good in the classroom, and they come from great families. Those are the first things that we look at.”
“In terms of Avery - speed, enthusiasm. She’s just a gamer, I like that about her. She really sets the tone. Every time we watched her play, she was the firestarter for the team.”
“With Raegan, she’s a steal. She’s got a big bat in the lineup, she’s really good over at first base. We’re getting a steal with both of them. I’m really excited about them joining our program and looking forward to the future.”
Rector praised the atmosphere at Wesleyan as one of the top things that attracted her to it. “I really liked the people. It just felt welcoming, and it felt like home.”
Tanner and Rector have played softball together since the age of four, so getting to keep playing together is an exciting opportunity for both of them.
“I feel like it’ll be a lot easier going now that I’ll actually know somebody,” said Tanner. “I know a few people that are there, but I like having someone that I’m already so close to there to make it 100 times easier.”
Tanner committed to the Eagles earlier in the year, and her choice also helped guide Rector to hone in on Wesleyan. “She gave me some pointers (in the recruiting process) and that helped a lot,” said Rector.
“We just heard about this camp at Wesleyan, a college I’d never heard of,” said Tanner. “I got a free weekend and thought ‘might as well go.’ I went down there and the girls were super nice and I really liked it, so I went on a visit.”
“It was also really stressful talking to all the colleges at one time. I feel better now finding somewhere I belong. Coach Woods is like the coolest guy ever. I’m so glad to have him as a coach, and the environment at Wesleyan. It’s not like a partying college. I feel like I’ll be really driven there to get my work done, have good grades, and stay on track.”
Tanner plans on studying broadcast journalism with the goal of being a sideline reporter, something she’s already been getting experience at in high school as the unofficial photographer for most of the school’s athletic events.
Rector is interested in the medical field, but hasn’t settled on a major yet.
“They lead by example, they do well in school,” said head coach Shelli Brown. “I think they’re just now getting started in their careers. I think they’re going to do great jobs down there.”
Also signing an LOI was John Keim with the Eastern Oklahoma State College baseball team. EOSC is a two-year junior college in Wilburton, competing in the NJCAA.
The Mountaineers went 47-7 this past year, and Keim’s former Sandite teammate John Miller is currently on the team.
“The coaches really are what attracted me to Eastern,” said Keim. “They've really proved themselves the past few years as being great coaches. They’re really just amazing. I started talking to (Coach Matt Parker) at the start of the summer and slowly built that relationship till now.”
“It’s a big stress reliever. It makes it easier to know I don’t have to focus on getting recruited and I can just focus on getting better.”
As for his goals in the spring season, “I’d like to be one of the top guys here and help lead us to a State championship.”
Keim is interested in studying engineering, but he isn't sure yet.
“He’s really developed over the last couple of years and honestly the sky’s the limit,” said Sandites head baseball coach Matt Brown. “We’re looking for big things from him for us this spring. He’s really going to help us and they’re going to get a really good player and a good kid.”
