40 Area Baseball Players Sign Letters of Intent
Part of event held by 316 Elite & Wichita Sluggers
WICHITA, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) - In an event put together by 316 Elite and the Wichita Sluggers, 40 local baseball student-athletes inked letters of intent Saturday at their facility. It was an idea brought to life by Tonto Baxley, a longtime coach and director of operations with the program.
“It’s because Covid, kids can’t sign in their schools for particular reasons so we felt like we needed to do something for these kids to get them back to normalcy,” said Baxley.
“We didn’t all get an opportunity to sign at school so this is an opporunity for everyone to just come together and to all be with our families to sign for our special day,” added Jorey Faber, a senior at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School signed to play at Neosho County.
Of the 40 athletes taking part, a majority of them signed to play college close to home in Kansas, others choosing to cross state lines.
“It’s a real dream come true, finally here," said Wichita Heights' Gary Brock, who will stay in Wichita to play at Friends. “I remember starting out playing baseball, now going to college for it, it’s a real surprise.”
For all of the signees, this day comes after they lost their junior year due to the pandemic, when KSHSAA was forced to cancel all spring sports across the state earlier this year. But nobody at this event was dwelling on the past, instead looking forward to the future and wrapping up their high school careers on the diamond.
“Losing my junior year was heartbreaking, but senior year is going to be awesome,” said Andover Central’s Easton Elliot, a Johnson County commit. “I’m super eager to get back out there and just see what our guys can put together.”

2021 216 Elite/Wichita Sluggers commitments
Coleson Syring - Derby - Butler
Reid Liston - Derby - Neosho
Grant Ash - Derby - Neosho
Will Johnson - Andover - Coffeyville
Max Maholland - Circle - Missouri-St. Louis
Jack Bell - Andover Central - Coffeyville
Kade Snodgrass - Derby - Neosho
Tate Rico - Campus - Butler
Jaden Wiley - Goddard - Barton
Jorey Faber - Bishop Carroll - Neosho
Keaton Dunlavy - Maize South - Sterling
Alex Ronk - Andover Central - Labette
Easton Elliot - Andover Central - Johnson County
Owen Bucher - Arkansas City - Neosho
Wyatt Falco - Moundridge - Bethany
Kaden McBratney - Maize South - State Fair
Gavin Djurovic - Maize - Pratt
Jacob Steffen - Kapaun Mt. Carmel - Benedictine
Jacob Read - Goddard - Benedictine
Harper Kennedy - Maize South - Newman
Logan Bartlett - Cheney - Neosho
Aaron Geisler - Maize South - Coffeyville
Drake Unrein - Bishop Carroll - Coffeyville
Sterling Pierce - Andover - Coffeyville
Justice Hannon - Northwest - Coffeyville
Scott Adams - Maize - Barton
Brendon Green - Northwest - Tabor
Carson Olmsted - Derby - Southwestern
Jace Horn - Derby - Southwestern
Jesse Johnson - Valley Center - Tabor
Kekoa Vincent - Valley Center - Tabor
Gary Brock - Heights - Friends
Dominic Minjares - Alva (Ok.) - Pima
Kacey Parrett - Northwest - Central Christian
Mitchael Casement - Maize - Sterling
Ethan Denk - Andale - Friends
Beau Grant - Maize South - Kansas Wesleyan
Alex Rocha - Kapaun Mt. Carmel - Friends
Matthew Buffington - Andover Central - Kansas City Kansas
Jett Hand - Augusta - Allen
Copyright 2020 Catch it Kansas. All rights reserved.