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| Three sophomores sign to play at four-year schools | 2007-05-08 |
| There is little doubt as to what has propelled the Wallace College Governors into this weekend’s state tournament. It’s been the play of the sophomores. Now, three more of those sophomores have signed college scholarships to play at the next level. | |
 Andrew Starr, Dave Mason, and Mitchell Davidson are the latest to sign. They join Geneva’s Michael Precise who signed with Troy during the early signing period. At least two more are expected to sign later.“When you look back over the two years as to what these players have accomplished, it’s easy to see why they’ve got the opportunity to continue their baseball careers,� Wallace coach Mackey Sasser said. “Our sophomores have been leaders on and off the field. They led us to a division championship last year, and they led us to a second place finish this year. They are proven winners, and I have no doubt they will continue to be winners at the next level.� Starr will be headed to Berry College in Georgia. He joins former teammate Ryan Starr (no relation) who is having an outstanding career during his first season at Berry. “Berry has real good people, and it’s a beautiful place,� said Starr, a Panama City native. “It is real close to Atlanta and all of my family is originally from Atlanta.� Starr has an extremely outgoing personality and has made many friends since coming to Dothan. He says he will always look back on his time here fondly. “I became a grown man while here at Wallace,� Starr said. “I matured. Being here at Wallace changed my whole attitude. I know what is right from wrong.� On the field, Starr has had great success for the Govs. At one point this season, he had a 20-game hitting streak. As a freshman, he was named All-Conference. As a power-hitting first baseman, he currently has a .347 batting average. Davidson and Mason are both headed to Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Davidson is a native of Chipley, while Mason is a native of nearby Decatur, Tennessee. They are the number one and two pitchers for the Govs. But it didn’t start out that way for Mason. As a matter of fact, he didn’t even start out as a pitcher. He came to Wallace as a catcher. “It happened in the fall of my freshman year,� he said. “I told Coach Sasser I could pitch and he let me give it a try. Eventually, I became a starter. I pitched a little in high school along with playing other positions, but I can truly say I learned to pitch here.� One of the biggest things Mason says he’s learned is that conditioning plays a big part in pitching. So he has made a big effort to stay in shape. He currently has an earned run average of 3.1 and a record of 6-4. He was 11-3 as a freshman. While Mason was familiar with Lee University because it was near his home, Davidson took a visit and liked what he saw. “It’s a nice school with a good program,� the left-hander said. “I had a very pleasant experience during my visit.� Like the other two, Davidson credits being at Wallace with his advancement. “I improved my work ethic while I was here,� he said. “It wasn’t just on the field but in the classroom as well. And being at Wallace has given me a lot of exposure. I had offers to go to a lot of places.� Going to Lee University with his buddy was only part of the equation. Davidson says it was an opportunity to see where he wanted to go in life. “This will be the farthest I lived away from home,� he said. “It will be good to decide if I want to stay away from this area or come back home.� Davidson has an 8-1 record and this year is sporting an ERA of 3.2. “Coaches at the next level are going to see how hard these players work, and how much they love to compete,� Sasser said. “When fans come out next week, I hope they will see them lead us to a state championship.� Wallace begins play in the state tournament at 7 p.m. Saturday. | |
| © Wallace Community College |
