The State Fair Community College (SFCC) baseball season does not begin until February. However, four current SFCC baseball student-athletes have announced their college plans. Sophomores Logan Bexten (Freeburg, Missouri), Gavin Jones (Sedalia, Missouri), Brady Holden, (St. Joseph, Missouri), and Jack Schmedding (Clinton, Missouri) signed their National Letters of Intent in a signing ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 14 inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center in front of family members, teammates, and coaches.
"I'm very proud of all these guys for accomplishing today what they set out to do when they arrived here," said Roadrunners Baseball Head Coach Jud Kindle.
Bexten registered six wins on the mound for SFCC as a freshman, pitched 47.2 innings with 40 strike outs, including two complete games, signed his letter of intent and will attend William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri.
"The campus felt like home," said Bexten. "I have a good relationship with the coaches and I feel like I can make an impact there."
"Bexton has been here for two years," said Kindle. "He was one of our better freshman arms last year. He leads by example. He is so consistent in everything that he does. I think that's what makes him so special."
Jones signed with Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. Jones finished second on the team in home runs as a freshman with nine, had 49 RBI (tied for team lead), scored 35 runs and played in 56 games. Jones plans to study accounting at Southern Illinois.
"They have a really good baseball program and it felt like home when I was there," said Jones. "I really liked the coaches as well."
"Gavin (Jones) is one of the hardest working kids that I have ever been around," said Kindle. "He is going to be very successful, just because of his work ethic."
Holden is a transfer from Metropolitan Community College-Longview, who signed with Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.
"It has always been a dream of mine to play there," said Holden. "It is located in my hometown. They have nice facilities and I could always see myself playing there."
As a freshman at Longview, Holden hit .302 with a team-high 20 stolen bases. He had 39 hits, while scoring 36 runs. Holden played in 39 games, mostly in the outfield. Holden plans to major in physical education at Missouri Western.
"I see him (Holden) as a leadoff hitter and centerfielder at the next level," said Kindle." He definitely stepped into the role of being our leadoff hitter. He is a guy who is going to score a lot of runs for us."
Schmedding is a transfer from St. Louis Community College, who is going to continue his academic and athletic career at Park University located in Parkville, Missouri. He will be majoring in criminal justice and plans to be a police officer in his hometown after graduation.
"Park University is located in a small town not very far away from home," said Schmedding. "I also got a really good scholarship."
Schmeddidng appeared in 13 games, starting one on the mound as a freshman at St. Louis. He pitched 43.1 innings, while striking out 41 and only walking seven.
"Schmedding is a good fit in any role on a pitching staff," said Kindle. "He is extremely competitive when he is on the mound and just finds a way to record outs."
David Rohrbach
SFCC Athletics