After a lot of hard work and dedication, seniors Adam Ivey and Austin McNicholas have both signed with Division 1 universities to play baseball. Ivey has signed with Texas State University while McNicholas will be headed to the University of Texas.

McNicholas has been under watch by UT since his freshman year and received a scholarship offer during his sophomore year to play for the Longhorns.

Ivey was talked to in the beginning of summer 2015 and, shortly after, was offered to attend Texas State with a baseball scholarship, covering 55 percent of his tuition and books also he will be receiving a monthly stipend upon arrival.

McNicholas signed with UT, and gave him a scholarship that covers 80 percent of his tuition, which is the highest scholarship anyone can receive.

“It felt good to finally sign with UT because I get to extend my baseball career,” McNicholas said.

McNicholas has been scouted from other colleges such as University of Houston, Arizona state, and Rice. However, he felt like he couldn’t consider them because he has verbally been committed to UT since the summer of 2012-2013.

McNicholas and Ivey both have played baseball since they were young, so being offered a scholarship to play college baseball was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.

“I was so grateful to have signed with a Division 1 school, I had no idea this was going to happen,” Ivey said.

Every now and then, when Ivey thought he wasn’t performing up to his standard, he would consider quitting but, thanks to his dad, he kept Ivey motivated in playing baseball.

“Sometimes when I wasn’t playing too well, I thought there was no reason for me to keep playing,” Ivey said. “ But my dad encouraged me to push on, that it will pay off, and it did.”

Most of the work was done by both Ivey and McNicholas, but they couldn’t have done without the help of their parents, who have supported them throughout the years.

“My parents have supported me the whole way, paying for everything, taking me everywhere, I honestly don’t think I could have made it this far without them,” Ivey said.

To some baseball is just a side thing, but to these boys it’s everything, its not something they do on the side for fun it’s life.

“Baseball isn’t just a sport, it helped me learn many life lessons that has helped and will help me in the future.” McNicholas said

“I’ve been playing baseball my whole life some days were hard but I worked through it, because I knew it would eventually take me somewhere,” Ivey said.