BELLEFONTE — Although it certainly doesn’t feel like baseball season outside, Bellefonte Area High School baseball had a strong presence in downtown Bellefonte on Nov. 8.
Coaches, teammates, family and friends packed The Speakeasy at the Gamble Mill to honor two standout Red Raiders.
Seniors Trevor Johnson and Braedyn Kormanic signed their National Letters of Intent to play baseball in college. Johnson is headed to Duke University next fall, while Kormanic is going to Delaware Valley University.
Both players were on the Red Raider squad that captured the PIAA state championship in June.
Johnson said he was thrilled to finally put pen to paper and sign the LOI.
“It feels great. Words only go so far, so for it to finally be official is huge,” Johnson said. “For me, it helps me focus on the future. It’s set in stone.”
Johnson, an outfielder who was selected as a MaxPreps Small School First Team All-American, is coming off a stellar season in which he batted a whopping .558 with 50 runs scored, 11 home runs and 50 RBIs. He had a .667 on-base percentage and 1.221 slugging percentage.
He always wanted to play for an ACC school. Now, that dream is a reality.
“Tonight was a big moment. Getting to see everyone who has helped me along the way … was special. I wanted to thank them for not only making me the baseball player that I am, but the person that I am,” Johnson said.
Johnson had his entire family by his side — father Buddy, mother Jennifer and big sister Mia, who is also a collegiate athlete. She plays soccer at Edinboro University.
For Johnson, it was a time to reflect.
“It definitely was a little emotional. I turned 18 a couple of weeks ago, so talking about the Little League days, all of that stuff. You always dream of this and you blink your eyes and you’re (a senior) in high school,” Johnson said.
Kormanic agreed that it was a special evening.
“It feels really good. We’ve been together for 14 years of our lives. To see everyone come out to celebrate what we’ve done, it’s a big thing,” Kormanic said.
Kormanic, Bellefonte’s catcher, said that selecting Delaware Valley University was an easy choice.
“I knew that’s where I wanted to go. Now, it’s official. It feels really good to be going there,” Kormanic said.
Delaware Valley University has a strong agriculture program, which is what Kormanic wants to study.
“That’s really what I wanted. It also has a great (baseball) program with a great coach and environment,” Kormanic said.
He will be spending the offseason preparing for spring and his final season as a Red Raider.
“Now, I can focus on the season and we can prove ourselves again,” he said. “We want to win another state championship.”
