The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Senior athletes college bound
VERONA, N.Y. » They say good things come in threes.
The old adage was on full display Wednesday at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School as three Red Devils signed their national letters of intent to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level.
Olivia Evans will take her talents and golf clubs to Division II Kutztown University of Pennsylvania; Davey Moffett will need to pack his first baseman’s mitt and possibly an outfield glove as he commits to play Division I baseball at Manhattan-College; and Andrew Roden will also need a first baseman’s glove as he heads to UMass Lowell for Division I ball.
“We are very proud of our student athletes’ accomplishments,” said VVS Athletic Director Duey Weimer.
With family, coaches and friends looking on, each of the three athletes signed their letters, bringing an end to any further recruiting worries and marking the start of their collegiate careers.
Olivia Evans - Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Women’s Golf
Evans, who has earned three straight trips to the state tournament, says signing her letter on Wednesday marked the culmination of a dream she has had since the sixth grade: playing college golf.
“I started getting college looks at the state tournament my junior year,” she said of the recruiting process. “Kutztown emailed me later in the season, and they told me to come down and visit them. I fell in love with the school, and it was an easy decision to commit there.” Evans credited her love of golf
to her grandmother Vi Evans, “She’s always golfed, always took us golfing as little kids.”
She also thankedher parents, friends, and coaches for their support throughout the years.
“Olivia shows great compassion and rigor when it comes to the golf game,” VVS golf coach Cindy Thomas said. “She spends many hours practicing and it shows her accomplishments throughout the years.”
Davey Moffett - Manhattan College, Baseball
Moffett, a lifetime .450 hitter, boasts a career line of 23 doubles, 3 triples, 10 homers, and 76 runs-battedin. In 2017, he mashed the ball to a .465 average with eight doubles, a triple, and four home runs to go with 29 runs-batted-in.
“It’s truly been a privelege to watch you grow through the program. I’d like to thank you for your dedication to the program, your leadership, and your coachability. Athletics, especially baseball, has been a big part of your lives,” said baseball coach Chad Hodkinson to both Moffett and Roden. “The amount of time that you and your families have invested in playing baseball at the highest level has paid off. I know Manhattan College and UMass Lowell are gaining great players.”
Moffett thanked his family, coaches, and friends before signing his name.
“None of this would be possible without them,” Moffett said.
He also spoke briefly of the recruiting process, saying, “It was long and stressful. A lot of hard work and hard years that goes into it. Finally, when I did commit, it was a huge relief and a lot of stress off for me and my family. I’m glad that it worked out the way it did.”
Andrew Roden - UMass Lowell, Baseball
Roden heads into his final season of high school baseball sporting lifetime .370 batting average with nine doubles, two triples, eight home runs, and 40 runs-batted-in. Roden enjoyed perhaps his finest year yet in 2017, boasting a .511 average, four doubles, one triple, five homers, and 21 runs-batted-in. Furthermore, Roden’s baseball prowess at VVS extends out of the batter’s box to the pitcher’s mound as well with a lifetime ERA of 1.156 across 36.1 frames to go with five wins and 51 strikeouts.
“I’d like to thank my number one fans, my parents and brothers for always supporting me and never giving up on me. I would not be the person I am today without them,” said Roden. “I’d like to thank Coach Hodkinson and Coach Rodell for pushing me to always be a better person and player.”
Roden’s recruiting process started when he was in the ninth grade, and now, with his decision official, Roden also feels relief.
“It’s awesome to know that you know where you’re going and the coaching staff,” he said. “I visited there three times, and I really liked the stadium there... But also, I just felt at home with coaches.”
The first basemen also liked the message he received from the coaching staff: “Now we want to get you to the next level. You made it to Division I level, congratulations, but now, we want to get you to the next level.”
Roden’s current coach reflected on the achievements of his two sluggers.
“Just as you had VVS role-models growing up, you yourselves have become role-models for VVS,” Hodkinson said. “It’s a great day for them. They’ve put in a ton of time and work throughout the years. I’ve been writing their name in the lineup card for many years, and I’d like to keep doing it for many more years.”
For this final 2017-18 season, Hodkison will have to savor having Roden and Moffett in his lineup for a few more games.
Neither baseball commit is looking past this upcoming season, however, with Roden perhaps putting it best.
“I’m excited to get there, but first, we gotta take care of business this year.”