Fountain Lake graduates sign to play collegiate baseball
Fountain Lake graduates Daeton Bassett and Preston White held a joint signing ceremony Thursday at Elite Sports, formally announcing their intention to play baseball on the collegiate level.
Bassett signed to play for the Allen Community College Red Devils in Iola, Kan., while White will play for the Panola College Ponies in Carthage, Texas.
“I think they’re really good choices,” Fountain Lake first year head coach Hayden Thornton said. “Obviously, they’re both very talented. I’m glad they’re taking the step to go to the next level. They’re both capable. I didn’t get to see them play all four years, but I can tell you that they were very good for us and helped Fountain Lake get to where we are. Both had options, but I think they both made good choices.”
Bassett fell in love with the sport around age 7, and the Cobras’ third baseman, who also had opportunities to pitch for the team, said the ability to play in college is “like a dream come true.”
“Whenever you’re a little kid, you hear about all these people in your family going to play college sports, things like that and how fun it was for them,” he said. “You just kind of want to live that out, and now that I’m able to go do that and possibly go on further than that to bigger schools and bigger things, it’s great. It gives me another chance in life.”
Bassett had multiple offers from institutions including Minnesota West, but he said that he was impressed by the coaches at
Allen, where he plans to split time behind the plate and at third base.
“It was mostly the coaches that were there — just kind of how they coach and how I saw they were with the players there,” he said. “I went and watched a couple games. I saw how he is with his players, and I saw just how the atmosphere is there — different from everywhere else. It’s more of like an athletic school; I see more potential there at that school compared to other schools.”
The catcher stood out this season as a leader for the Cobras, Thornton said.
“Daeton, for us, moved into the catcher spot and helped us tremendously,” he said. “He was for sure a leader, an absolute incredible bat in the lineup. He helped all around, no doubt. He was a really good leader.”
White said he looked at a few junior colleges near California, Maryland and Minnesota, but coach Todd Shelton ultimately helped draw him to Panola.
“He knows how to develop players,” he said. “I knew how Panola is always good going in, and I was trying to somewhere and get bigger and stronger and develop into my body. I toured (and) they had super nice stuff and dorms. They could get me right and see good competition every day. We talked about how if I did go there he would get me ready for the next level by putting on weight and making me bigger, faster and stronger.”
The future Pony will move to middle infield while possibly spending some time on the mound while pursuing a business degree.
“It feels great,” he said. “I have dreamed about it my entire life. My dad started me at T-Ball at 3 (and I have) loved it ever since.”
Thornton described White as “your prototypical baseman,” while being a solid infielder for the Cobras.
“He had a very good glove in the middle of the infield,” he explained. “That was really big for us, and he was also a good leader for us. He kept us light. What I mean by that is he was our comedic relief; he kept us relaxed.”
Bassett also aims to take a business-oriented path in college.
“I hope to go to Allen for a couple years and transfer off to a bigger school,” he said. “I hope to continue to play baseball for as long as I can and study business. Hopefully, I can start up my own business. If I had a business of choice, I would try to start up a big athletes facility. I’d have batting cages and a gym. I’d build it around athletes, training people — stuff like that.”
Both players cited former head coach Josh Wesson as a major influence on their baseball careers.
“Coach Wesson has done a lot for me,” White said. “He is a great coach and a great person who really cares about his players. He drove three hours last summer to watch me, Jake, and Daeton play in Louisiana. Behind my dad, he’s my favorite coach. Smackover got a good one. (I’m) going to miss him.”