Not many people can say they continued their journey in baseball all the way into college. Even though the spring baseball season is just starting up, five of FHN’s seniors have committed to colleges to further advance their dream of playing baseball. Many of these players can give their fathers credit for “starting ‘em young.”

“We used to go in the garage and he would throw the tennis ball and I would hit it,” senior Hunter Shoulta said.

Shoulta has been out on the diamond since he was 4 years old. He was first introduced to the sport by his dad, who is still a big supporter and attends nearly every game. Since he discovered his love for baseball, he joined many teams over the years: The Crush, The Vipers, The Predators, The Sox, and two different Premier teams. Now, on FHN boys varsity, he plays second and third base and shortstop. Shoulta was contacted by Moberly Area Community College this year and committed, very content with his decision for a couple of reasons.

“It’s just like a family, the town is so small, and it’s the first year they ever had sports there, so this is the first time they’ve had baseball and it’ll change the town,” Shoulta said. “They’re excited to have sports.”

Like Shoulta, senior pitcher Derek Archer has been in baseball since his dad put him in t-ball as a 4-year-old. Archer committed to Westminster College, located in Fulton, Missouri. Though he sealed the deal with this division 3 college, he was considering many other in-state options beforehand. His future coach at Westminster first noticed one of Archer’s pitching videos over Twitter. The coach came out and watched Archer throw the bullpen. Soon, he visited the college’s campus, where his coach gladly announced that he would take him on the team.

“I’m excited about the amount of effort that goes into it and the time I’ll spend with the team. It will be fun to build those relationships,” Archer said.