Four WTC Baseball Players Sign with Universities
Four WTC Baseball players signed with universities to continue their athletic and academic careers at the NCAA level. Freshmen Justin Schrader, Nick Crespo, and Drake Warner, and sophomore Elliot Ranson will continue to play for universities across the state of Texas and Louisiana.
Justin Schrader, a second-year freshman left-handed pitcher from Broussard, Louisiana, will play for Louisiana Tech University. The Bulldogs are an NCAA Division I university competing in Conference USA and are located in Ruston, Louisiana. In his two-year career with the Westerners, Schrader made 15 appearances with 1 win and 32 total innings pitched. Schrader has also accounted for 44 strikeouts with 12.38 strikeouts per 9 innings and a 5.06 earned run average. He also had a .800 fielding percentage.
Nick Crespo, a second-year freshman catcher from Alpine, Texas, will play for the University of Texas at San Antonio. The UTSA Roadrunners are an NCAA Division I university competing in Conference USA. UTSA is located in San Antonio. In his two years with the Westerners, Crespo played in 32 games with 93 at bats. Crespo also had 26 runs, 26 hits, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs, and 14 runs batted in with 4 stolen bases. Crespo’s batting average is .280 with a .402 on base percentage and .452 slugging percentage. Crespo also has a 1.000 fielding percentage with 130 putouts and 16 assists. He was also a 2nd team WJCAC All-Academic member in the fall of 2020 and was named WJCAC Player of the Week for the week of January 24-30, 2021.
Elliot Ranson, a sophomore utility player from Houston, Texas, will continue his career with the University of Texas at Tyler. The Patriots are an NCAA Division I university competing in the Lone Star Conference. UT-Tyler is located in Tyler, Texas. In his three years with the Westerners, Ranson has played in 89 games with 69 runs, 100 hits, 22 doubles, 4 triples, 4 home runs, 54 runs batted in, and 16 stolen bases. Ranson also has a .344 batting average, .436 on base percentage, and .488 slugging percentage. On defense, Ranson has 152 putouts, 151 assists, 31 errors, and 33 double plays for a fielding percentage of .907. In the classroom, Ranson was a 1st Team WJCAC All-Academic member for the fall of 2018, spring of 2019, fall of 2019, and fall of 2020. He was also a 3rd team NJCAA All-Academic member for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years.
Drake Warner, a second-year freshman catcher from Fate, Texas, has signed to play with McMurry University. The War Hawks are an NCAA Division III university competing in the American Southwest Conference and located in Abilene, Texas. Warner has been part of a Westerner baseball team with a team batting average of .295, on base percentage of .394, and a .461 slugging percentage over the previous two seasons.