Story and photos by Tamas Mondovics
Newsome High School senior and FishHawk Youth Baseball player Nathan James has joined the long list of young athletes who are seeing the results of their hard work.
With family and friends around him at the FishHawk Sports Complex baseball board room in Lithia, James signed his National Letter of Intent last month to play baseball at Oklahoma Christian a NCAA Div II college in the Heartland Conference in Edmond, OK.
“My dream of playing college ball is coming true,” he said. “Many hours of hard work and dedication went into this achievement and I’m so happy to see it pay off.”
James first thanked his parents for their support and willingness to help him at every step of the way before he adding others to the list of names that helped him stay the course.
“I also want to thank my teammates and the many coaches such as Coaches Paul, Mike, Meat, Victor, Edwin, Tom and Scott, for helping me get to where I am today,” James said. “Most of all I want to thank my dad again for always going to the cages, staying on me and pushing me to strive for success.”
Pleased with his young players’s commitment dedication and subsequent success, FYB president Mike Love spoke highly of James when he said, “Nathan has shown the skills in so many areas: in the batter’s box, with the glove defensively and on the pitcher’s mound.”
While finishing his last season at home, James is set on studying engineering at OC as well as grow in the sport under the direction of his new coach, Lonny Cobble as a right handed pitcher as well as trying out for 1st base later in the fall.
Proud of their son’s accomplishments that includes maintaining a difficult schedule of AP and honors classes throughout high school while maintaining a GPA of 5.9820 (weighted) and 3.8620 (unweighted), James parents,
Richard and Charris James said that Nathan’s love for the sport began at the FishHawk Sports Complex at the age nine on the Majors field.
Nathan’s off the field activities also includes being a member of Newsome’s National Honor Society, Speech and Debate Club, Family Career Community Leaders of America, Newsome Leadership Club, Spike Ball, and Track and Field, just to name a few.
Boasting of Nathan’s example for the rest of the league as well as the younger players, and hoping to see more like him in the coming years Love said, “In the dugout and on the field, Nathan is always a leader coaching up his teammates. Coaching Nathan was truly a pleasure.”
For more about FishHawk Youth Baseball please visit www.fishhawkyouthbaseball.org.
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