CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — FULL SIGNINGS - WEDNESDAY 11/13:
FLOUR BLUFF:
Maggie Croft - SMU (Volleyball)
Talia Rodriguez - Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (Volleyball)
Ashby McCracken - Austin College (Volleyball)
Ailyah Thornton - St. Mary's of the Woods (Volleyball)
Allison Ramos - Alvin College (Softball)
Mia Oretga - San Jacinto College (Softball)
ROBSTOWN:
Ariel Flores - Lamar (Softball)
Karina Trevino - Creighton (Softball)
SINTON:
Kash Wood - Abilene Christian (Baseball)
Adrian DeAses - Texas A&M-Kingsville (Baseball)
LONDON:
Eva Gallegos - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Softball)
Kailey Albrecht - Concordia (Tennis)
ROCKPORT-FULTON:
Hannah Creekmoore - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Golf)
Sean Howell - Texas A&M-Kingsville (Baseball)
Kalia Flaherty - Texas A&M-San Antonio (Softball)
SANTA GERTRUDIS ACADEMY:
Izzy De Los Santos - Texas A&M International (Softball)
Hannah Peralas - Tyler Junior College (Softball)
WEST OSO:
Jae'La Hicks - St. Edward's (Basketball)
Wednesday was signing day for non-football sports, and that means athletes across the Coastal Bend made it official where they will be playing in college.
Athletes from multiple sports signed on the dotted line—an important step in their athletic careers. While there were multiple NCAA Division-I commits, there was one for a power five program right here in Texas.
Southern Methodist University commit Maggie Croft is a standout volleyball player at Flour Bluff High School. She will play volleyball for the Mustangs and credits playing multiple sports for her success.
"I think it helps everything, athletically, mentally. Like every sport teaches you something different about the other sport, I've always thought that, and it's helped with my athleticism.," Croft said. "Like basketball, the mental game helps with the volleyball, mental game, I mean, track, that's just pure running and athleticism that helps with everything and volleyball, I mean, it's just where I focus everything else on."
Kash Wood plays baseball for the Sinton Pirates and enjoyed multiple seasons of playoff runs. He was injured when the Pirates won a state title in 2022. However, he said that playing for Sinton Head Baseball Coach Adrian Alaniz over the years set him up for a future playing baseball at Abilene Christian University.
"My family these past years have just done everything they possibly could and let me live my dream and I think it's just rewarding them back to it. It's a big, big thing for me just to show them that I can do it," Wood said.
Robstown had two D-I softball commits—a first for the school. Ariel Flores is committed to Lamar University, and said that she is looking forward to making life-long friends there—hopefully winning a championship, too. She talked about what it took to get there.
"Definitely a sacrifice, not only for me but for my family," Flores said. "Long weekends, hot sun and spent 13 years of my life working for this day."
Karina Trevino is committed to Creighton University and credited her great coaches and teammates at Robstown for pushing her to be a better player. She said that it was great the Robstown community showed up to support them on signing day.
"A lot of family, a lot of friends and I think it's just inspiring to this younger generation we have coming up and showing them, they can do it coming from a small town," Trevino said.
Committed to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Eva Gallegos is the daughter of former Moody Head Baseball Coach Corky Gallegos. Her dad won multiple state titles with the Trojans. She said that family, including her aunt and head softball coach Marina Avila, helped her during her time at London.
"I literally could never imagine myself going anywhere else," Gallegos said. "My heart is here, my heart is here with the community. I love it so much, and playing for my aunt has meant the world to me. She's never lost faith in me. Anytime I need her, she's there and she's the best coach and I love her so much. So grateful for the opportunity to play for my family."