Baylor tennis will send two to NCAA D-I teams
Baylor School tennis team members Drew Hawkins and Cooper Long signed Wednesday to continue their playing careers at NCAA Division I programs, Hawkins at Belmont University in Nashville and Long at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Hawkins, a four-time Times Free Press Best of Preps selection and two-time girls’ player of the year, committed to Belmont in June. The four-star prospect and two-time defending TSSAA Division II-AA state singles champion was 12-4 for the Lady Red Raiders in 2016.
She chose the Bruins over offers from UTC and Navy, and she had high interest from Samford and Vanderbilt.
“Belmont is getting a great player,” Baylor girls’ tennis coach Dustin Kane said. “She’s excited. She’s a good fit for the program, a hard worker, an unbelievable teammate and a high-level player. They’re getting someone that is great in every way and is very coachable. “I know they’re excited to have her.” Long was a first-team Best of Preps honoree in 2016, playing No. 3 singles for the state champion Raiders. He is ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 7 player in the state, according to tennisrecruiting.net.
Baylor boys’ coach Ned Caswell said UTC is getting a “diamond in the rough” who will have a chance to crack the lineup immediately.
“I can’t wait for him to get on that level,” said Caswell, a former college coach. “He’s a relentless worker, a mostly relentless baseline player. He’s a real sleeper and getting to a Division I program where he’ll be practicing with guys every day to get him better and better.
“He’s exactly what you want, someone that comes to practice every day and works.”