Signing Day

Seven Jesuit High School senior athletes, including five baseball players, signed with the colleges of their choice Wednesday (Nov. 9) at an early morning signing ceremony in the President's Board Room on campus.

Family, friends, and coaches packed the room as Jesuit president Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J., and athletic director Terry Rupp ’84 offered congratulations. They also encouraged the signees to continue striving, and to be leaders among their peers for the remainder of their high school careers and into college.

The seven Jesuit athletes who signed Letters of Intent on Wednesday:

• Brad Baker - lacrosse, Holy Cross
• Stevie Darst - basketball, Loyola New Orleans
• Jeff Hakanson - baseball, Central Florida
• Duncan Hunter - baseball, Jacksonville
• Kyle Koncal -  baseball, Ave Maria
• Price Sartor - baseball, Cornell
• Garrett Sheppard -  baseball, Coastal Carolina

The five baseball players have helped the Tigers win three District titles during their time at Jesuit, and were freshmen when Jesuit captured the Class 5A State Championship in 2014. Sheppard, a catcher, is joining the 2016 NCAA baseball National Champions at Coastal Carolina. Hakanson, Koncal, and Sartor are pitchers, and Hunter is an outfielder who batted .360 last season.

Darst, a guard, was the leading scorer for Jesuit basketball last season, and he led the Tigers to a berth in the State Tournament. And Baker has been rated one of the top 100 prep lacrosse players in the nation.

This was the first of three college signing ceremonies scheduled at Jesuit for 2016-17. The second and third will take place in February and April. Each year, about 20-30 Jesuit student-athletes sign Letters of Intent to participate in college athletics.

See a photo slideshow and video of the ceremony below: