Centerfielder Darius Autry (’15) committed to play baseball for the Ave Maria University Gyrenes earlier in the week. Autry said he knew Ave Maria, an NAIA Division II school, was the right fit for him after they approached him and he visited with the players and coaches.

“What I liked most about it is that they take pride in finding players with attributes of a future successful man,” said Autry. “They feel as if I fit that criteria and knowing that they recruit players like that attracted me to their program because I want to be around people like that in my life.”

Autry’s coach, Kevin McCray, spoke of Autry’s abilities as both an athlete and a person, making him a good recruit.

“He’s always been a talented baseball player, even back to little league, when he was a dominant hitter,” said McCray. “He also possesses great qualities like his character, his work ethic, [and] he’s a great teammate, a leader by example.”

As he moves on to Ave Maria, Autry says he will miss the high school team atmosphere.

“They’re unique, they’re not like any other team I’ve ever been on, in all sports,” he said. “At this point, I refer to them as a family, not a team.”