WEATHERFORD —
Select leagues and summer baseball programs are multi-purpose. Aside from honing baseball skills and getting varying perspectives of the game, young athletes have the opportunity to show off their individual talents.
The intended result worked out perfectly for Weatherford senior pitcher Austin Hilton, who inked a commitment to attend and play baseball at Northern Oklahoma College in Enid, on Wednesday. Hilton is a right-handed pitcher.
“I went to a showcase [event] called Perfect Game and the head coach from Northern Oklahoma [Raydon Leaton] saw me play,” Hilton said of his recruiting process. “He liked what he saw and, after talking [to others] and Coach [Terry] Massey, he offered me a DII scholarship.”
Austin was down to a decision between two offers, one at NOC-Enid and Redlands CC. The visit to the Enid campus tilted the balance to NOC.
“The facilities at NOC were a lot nicer, for one thing,” he said, “and I really liked the coaching staff, too.
Having made his decision, all the senior right-hander has to do now, besides keep grades up, of course, is to help the Roos get deep into the playoffs again. At any rate, he can relax now the near-future plans are secured.
“I feel like I’ve got some weight off my shoulders,” Hilton said. “I don’t have to worry about [finding a college] anymore, and it feels really good to get that out of the way.
Having the opportunity to enter the successful NOC program as a starter is a prime motivator for Hilton, who plans to pursue an athletic-related degree with the mind set of coaching his own baseball teams in the future. The senior also has other plans to strive for, including a stint at a 4-year college or even the draft, should the opportunity arise.
But for now, Austin is still a Roo and has work to do, yet. And he is grateful for the experience under the years of WHS tutelage.
“As far as preparing me to play at the next level, [being at Weatherford] has made a world of difference, “Hilton said. “I just do not think I would be at this point if I were in a lesser program.
“I feel like we have a top-tier program here, and Coach Massey and Coach [Jason] Lee have really helped me.”
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