A group of 15 Fort Mill athletes signed Thursday as part of the Jackets’ November signing class.
Fort Mill had four softball and lacrosse players, as well as three baseball players, two swimmers, and a basketball and volleyball player sign to play college sports.
Softball
The softball players for the Jackets included Brynn Bartolini, Maddie Drerup, Emma Tisdale and Trinity Wall, which all commit to different colleges.
Bartolini will be playing at Winthrop University. She has been playing softball since the seventh grade and is a three-time All-Region selection.
Drerup will be going to USC Upstate and has been a part of the program since 2016 and is a former All-Region and All-State selection. This past season she played in 22 games and had 145 strikeouts with 21 walks allowed to go with a 2.23 ERA. She also batted .428 helping Fort Mill to the Upper State title appearance.
Tisdale is a five-year starter and is a former All-State player. She is the single season home run leader for Fort Mill having hit 10 home runs for the Jackets. She will be heading to UNC-Charlotte to play in college.
Wall made her varsity debut as an eighth grader and this past season hit .328 with 15 RBI and 18 runs scored over 22 games. She was an All-Region selection last year and will be heading to Belmont Abbey College to continue to play.
“Today was an emotional day of sorts,” said Fort Mill head softball coach Chuck Stegall. “I can remember the beginning with them. I can remember the development of their skills. I watched the changes of their lives. They are so special. They earned this day. I’m proud of them.”
Lacrosse
The four lacrosse players are Brynn Dove, Xan Hill, Emma Marchan and Ellie Ruddy. All of them were part of the 2019 Upper State championship team.
Dove will be going to North Greenville University and is a four-year varsity player and a varsity captain for her senior year.
Hill has been on varsity for four years and was voted Most Improved Player two years in a row. She will enter her senior season in 2022 with nine career goals and eight career assists. She will be heading to Brevard College to play.
Marchan will be going to Robert Morris University to play and is a four-year starter and two-year captain for the team. Through her junior year, she tallied 39 goals, 20 assists and caused 64 turnovers and had 140 groundballs.
Ruddy will be going to Widener University and has been on the varsity team since a freshman in goal for the Jackets. She is an All-State goalie and an academic All-American.
“This was an exciting day for all of us,” said girls’ lacrosse head coach Kirsten Terry. “Four girls lacrosse players signing to play in college from Fort Mill is a testament to the hard work and dedication from this team. I am extremely proud of these girls and can’t wait to see them take their talent to the next level. But first, we have to win a state championship.”
Baseball
The three baseball players were Connor Rasmussen, Scott Young and Mathieu Curtis.
Rasmussen will be heading to East Carolina University and is a four-year starter for the Jackets at shortstop. He is a career .380 hitter and is a two-time All-Region selection. He has played American Legion baseball for three years and helped to lead the Fort Mill team to two state title appearances and one Southeast Regional appearance in Tampa in 2019.
Young is heading to USC Union as a catcher and is a multisport athlete at Fort Mill. He is one of the top 10 catchers in the state and has hit .341 for his career with a home run and 15 RBI during his time at Fort Mill. He was also part of the Fort Mill Legion baseball team that finished second in the state this year.
Curtis is heading to USC Upstate and will be playing his second season on the varsity team at Fort Mill this upcoming year. He is ranked as the No. 30 pitcher in the state and the No. 4 right hander. He pitched 21 innings as a junior and struck out 33 with a 3.00 ERA. He was also part of the Fort Mill Legion baseball team that finished second in the state earlier this year.
“Very proud of the guys” said Fort Mill head baseball coach Travis Collier. “They have worked extremely hard over the last four years to get to this point. I know they will do well in their future endeavors. They have represented Fort Mill High and this community very well.”
Swimming
The two swimmers committing to college were Kyndall Brown and Zachary Nelson. Brown will be heading to Campell University and is a three-time region champion and three-time All-Region selection. She was a 5A state qualifier for five years in a row.
Nelson will be heading to Milligan University and has been swimming with Fort Mill for two years. He is a two-time All-Region selection and two-time 5A state qualifier. He was named an All-State swimmer this past season and is a two-time region champion.
Volleyball
Robinson is a two-time All-Region player and had over 220 kills, 170 digs, 30 blocks and 30 aces this past season, while averaging 10 kills per game. She was named to the 2021 All-American watchlist this past season. She will be heading to Radford University in Virginia to continue playing.
Basketball
Dial will be heading to the United States Military Academy at West Point to play basketball. She is a two-time All-Region player and was recently voted Region 3-5A Preseason Player of the Year for this upcoming season.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
