CHESAPEAKE, VA (WTKR)- Patrick Dudley and Brett Beasley have fueled the Atlantic Shores baseball program to the top. Now they'll look to make an impact at two historically successful college teams.
Both signed their National Letters of Intent on Thursday morning during a ceremony in their high school gym. Dudley will take his skills to South Carolina, while Beasley will remain a little closer to home at East Carolina.
"It's a weight off my shoulders, but it's definitely a big motivation to continue to work knowing that this step is over," Beasley said. "It's like getting a job anywhere, so now you've got to keep the job. You've got to go out there and ball out, so I'm super excited about that."
"I'm definitely excited to get there in the fall," Dudley said. "I think it will be good. It's definitely a weight off my shoulders, for sure."
Dudley is one of the top pitchers in the area, while Beasley patrols the infield. Now they're taking their talents to programs that regularly host NCAA Regional rounds, compete for national championships and are notorious for packing the stands with rowdy fans.
"Just the program history itself and the coaches there are great, great fanbase and the school is itself is really good, too," Dudley said of why he picked the Gamecocks. "It will be good. I'm excited."
"The coaches just showed so much love throughout the whole recruiting process," Beasley noted of ECU. "It meant a lot to me knowing that was where I needed to go and that's where God was guiding me to go as well and I'm just super excited to make an impact there."
As for Dudley, he verbally committed to South Carolina in eighth grade before even playing an inning of high school baseball. In a new world of high school and college athletics, his commitment remained steadfast.
"I'm just a loyal guy," he noted. "I don't want to betray somewhere that I made a commitment to and I just love the program, so I would never want to leave."
Beasley and Dudley now turn their attention to their senior high school seasons, which will get going in the spring.
