Baseball Players Join The Signing Day Fun

Baseball’s signing day came in November, as high school seniors were allowed to sign their National Letter of Intent and officially commit to college. Football players, however, had to wait until Wednesday to make their own official commitments.

Among the players celebrating their decision today were several dual-sport athletes who intend to continue playing both baseball and football in college. Here we run down some of the scenes from signing day around the country.

One of the most significant commitments that came Wednesday was Starkville (Miss.) High wide receiver A.J. Brown choosing Mississippi. He is rated as a four-star wide receiver by Rivals, but is also a talented outfielder and is expected to join the Rebels on the diamond as well. He became the second player in history to play in the Under Armour All-America Game in both baseball and football.

AJ Brown taking his talents to Ole Miss. pic.twitter.com/oM6dQBzwzm

— Michael Bonner (@MikeBBonner) February 3, 2016

Brown has a good feel for hitting and above-average speed. He went 1-for-3 with a run in the All-America Game.

Looking forward to seeing @Brown1arthur at VHS and on the diamond at Swayze. Under Armour All American in ?? #SIPBOYZ16 #Hottytoddy — Ole Miss Baseball (@olemissbaseball) February 3, 2016

Most players entered signing day already having made their commitments. Arizona State officially landed Tre Turner out of Holy Cross School (New Orleans). A running back on the football field, he will also give the Sun Devils another athletic option in the outfield.

Welcome to Sun Devil Baseball too! https://t.co/lwbrY8JNiW

— Tracy Smith (@ASUSkip) February 3, 2016

The 2016 recruiting class also includes a pair of quarterbacks with strong baseball backgrounds who have already enrolled in college. Brandon McIlwain, who may have been on track to become a first-round pick this June, enrolled early at South Carolina. He will play center field for the Gamecocks this spring, while also getting ready to play quarterback in the fall. The four-star quarterback is already making waves on the diamond, where he hit two home runs Saturday in the Gamecocks scrimmage. Shane Buechele, whose father Steve played in the major leagues for 11 years and is the Rangers bench coach, is also already on campus at Texas. He will play quarterback for the Longhorns and has said he hopes to also play baseball. Buechele largely focused on football in high school, and how he’ll be sued on the diamond remains to be seen.