According to scholarshipstats.com only 7 percent of high school athletes continue playing their sport in college. Continuing to go on to the next level takes a lot of passion, grit and determination. 

A select group of students have achieved that accomplishment, and this year some students in the class of 2023 are preparing to get ready to play in college. 

Seniors Gabi Beaudet, Cooper Allen and Jimmy Lovelace are all currently signed to Division I colleges to play their sport. All of these student athletes have played for the school since their freshman year and are all preparing for their last high school season. 

In order to commit to a school, athletes have to undergo a recruiting process throughout their high school career. There are many ups and downs during this process, but these three athletes made their final decisions to play at the next level.

“I decided on UNCW because it’s a great location right by the beach, and they have a great and upcoming baseball program,” Allen said.

The recruitment process is different for everybody, and for Beaudet, she had her mind set on where she wanted to go.

“For recruiting I went on a lot of visits to many schools, but the whole time I knew I wanted to go to Coastal Carolina, so once they reached out to me, I went to a camp down there, and then I got an offer,” Beaudet said.

As a high schooler, it can be scary to have to decide on what college you want to go to at such a young age. Luckily, the people around you can be a big help.

“My coaches helped me a lot during my recruiting process,” Allen said. “They would call up different colleges and have conversations about me.”

When athletes finally choose their future program, there’s usually a reason as to why they made that decision.

“I chose to play baseball at Radford University because the school has a good education and they succeed in what I want to do in baseball,” Lovelace said.

Athletes who have already gone through the process can use that experience to help younger students whose goal is to play their sport in college. Their words of advice can mean more compared to a parent who has no clue what it’s like to be in that situation.

“Be patient during the process and keep on working because eventually it’s going to pay off,” Beaudet said.

As signing day has just passed, these athletes are one step closer to heading to college to pursue their sport, and with that comes a lot to look forward to in the future.

“I’m excited to become a better player and learn new things from my coaches and peers in college,” Lovelace said.