By Kyle Roberts
An already impressive fall for Ruston High School athletics saw four senior student-athletes sign to compete at the collegiate level next season.
In cross country and track and field, seniors Lily Garrett and Andrew McKaskle signed at the University of Tennessee and University of Louisiana-Lafayette, respectively.
Two Bearcat baseball players also signed with senior J.R. Tollett also signing with ULL, while senior Cade Patterson decided to stay in Ruston and signed with Louisiana Tech.
“I think this is a great opportunity for me,” Garrett said about signing with the Lady Volunteers. “I’m so excited and so blessed to get the chance to do this. I’m excited to finally make it official.”
McKaskle expressed his excitement to sign with the Ragin’ Cajuns before the ceremony began.
“I’m very excited,” McKaskle said. “When I went down and met the team, I really liked them and the coach. I feel like the environment is good for me down there.”
Ruston cross country coach Dustin Cochran talked about how proud he is for Garrrett and McKaskle to sign with their respective universities.
“I’m just super proud of both of them,” Cochran said. “When the two of them started, we didn’t think either of them had aspirations to do this. I’m really just happy for them and that they can continue to run and get an education.”
On the baseball side, Tollett expressed how impressed he was by the Cajun baseball program.
“First of all, I’m very excited,” Tollett said. “Obviously this has been a dream for a very long time. The coaches have been good to me throughout the whole process. They wanted to see me pitch in person, so I went to one of their camps. They showed appreciation for me coming down but also showed that I have room to grow. It just made me really excited, and I saw a good fit for me.”
Patterson talked about his excitement to join the Bulldogs, a team he has watched and cheer for his entire life.
“The main thing for me is the coach staff at Tech,” Patterson said. “They’re incredible. (Louisiana Tech head coach) Burroughs; I just love that guy. I love what’s happening with the program; it keeps building and building. Growing up, I loved watching the Bulldogs play; it’s a dream to get to do that.”
Ruston baseball head coach Zack Smith shared how proud he was of his players.
“We’re so excited for both of them,” Smith said. “It’s a blessing to see your players reach their dreams. I talked to them earlier this morning, and they set those at a young age. To see them accomplish that and sign a baseball scholarship, that’s very satisfying as a coach.”
