Turlock High’s baseball team has two more players who have secured a future in the sport. Senior Nick Voumard and junior Dakota Edwards signed their respective letters of intent on Wednesday to play for California State University, Stanislaus and the University of Bridgeport.
“I’m really happy for them; it’s a great opportunity. They’re going to keep improving and getting better,” Turlock’s head coach Mark de la Motte said. “I’m looking forward to following their careers when they leave here.”
The pair joins three other teammates who have already committed to college teams — with another slated to make a decision in the coming months. This year’s Bulldog squad has more college commits than any other team in school history.
“It makes us better coaches,” de la Motte said. “We got some guys playing at a high level and we’re trying to keep pushing them to get better.”
Voumard chose Stanislaus in November after weighing several other offers from schools like Cal Poly, University of San Diego, and University of Washington. In the end, it was the ability of his family and friends to easily catch him in action with the Warriors that swayed the young pitcher.
“It’s close to home, their coaches are awesome, and they have great facilities; they have a lot of good things going for them,” Voumard said. “The location and coaches were the final factor.”
Though the current Stanislaus baseball team is struggling with an overall record of 8-31, Voumard hopes that a quest for personal improvement will contribute to team success. As for academics, the soon to be Warrior’s goals are locally based, too.
“I’m looking forward to getting better, that’s my main goal,” Voumard said. “I would also like to become a history teacher and come back to coach baseball.”
While his teammate opted to continue his baseball career at home, Edwards’ decision was based on a desire to get away and enjoy the East Coast. The junior pitcher set his sights on Connecticut and the University of Bridgeport in January after one of a few campus visits.
“I went to visit for four days and stayed with a couple of boys and decided then that it was the right fit for me,” Edwards said. “I’ve always loved the East Coast and when I went to visit it confirmed my thought to go there.”
Edwards received offers from Illinois’ Wheaton College, CSU Stanislaus, and Western Oregon University, as well, with the Wolves being his second option.
“Ever since I started playing I’ve always wanted to go to college and play ball and try and make it pro,” Edwards said. “I’m looking forward to the college experience and to hopefully help them out. Any way they need me, hopefully we can get a championship.”
“The coaches are the reason I’m here, without them I wouldn’t have this,” Edwards added.
Voumard shared a similar sentiment after putting ink to paper.
“I want to thank all the coaches, they’re the reason I’m here,” Voumard said.
