Signing the Future

BV students sign Letter of Intent to play at the next level

Every year on Nov. 8, thousands of athletes from all over the country sign their letters of intent to play their sport at the collegiate level. This year, four athletes from Blue Valley participated in signing day.

Senior Jake Faust signed his commitment to play baseball at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Faust said he received his first offers in high school but initially realized he wanted to play in college when he was in eighth grade.

“I was first approached by Kansas City Kansas Community College freshman year,” Faust said. “They couldn’t even talk to me because I wasn’t old enough, so they talked to my coach.”

Although he started to get offers when he was an underclassman, he didn’t officially start the recruiting process until the summer before his junior year. Faust said the process interfered with his playing ability.

“Sometimes, the recruiting process was hard because I just wanted to play baseball,” Faust said. “At one point, I just didn’t want to play anymore because it’s frustrating and stressful.”

According to NCAA rules, a college is not allowed to reach out to a recruit until Sept. 1 of their junior year in high school; however, the player is allowed to reach out before then.

Faust said in addition to Benedictine, he received interest from seven other schools, including KU, Nebraska and Georgia.

In the spring of his sophomore year, Faust found out he had a torn labrum and would have to take a break from baseball to let it heal. One thing Faust said he liked about Benedictine was how the coach stuck with him through his injury. Additionally, Faust said he enjoyed the Benedictine campus and its proximity to home.

“I didn’t want to go too far,” Faust said, “I still wanted to go visit my family, but it’s also far enough where I still get the experience of living on my own. It’s 2,000 students, which is small, but I feel like that’s perfect for my personality. It’s such a beautiful campus. That’s what really made it feel like home.”