HANCEVILLE, ALA. – Wallace State volleyball’s Cidavia Hall and baseball’s Garrett Suchey each signed letter of intents Thursday with the University of Alabama, highlighting a slew of sophomores inking with four-year colleges for next season.
Hall, a 6-foot-1 middle hitter for the Lions, has put together a stellar two-year career at Wallace State. She was recently named the Alabama Community College (ACCC) Player of the Year, earned conference tournament MVP honors on Nov. 1 and NJCAA Player of the Week recognition in September.
Hall led the conference in hitting percentage (.631), kills (487), kills per set (3.90), blocks (197) and blocks per set (1.58) this season, helping lead Wallace State to a seventh consecutive tournament title.
Hall is now headed to Alabama as one of the premier signings in Wallace State volleyball history.
“It’s the most notable signing in my nine years here. It’s huge for our program to have someone of CeCe’s caliber to sign with a SEC school. It’s been a life-long dream of hers to play at Alabama, and for CeCe to reach that goal is impressive. I can’t say enough positive things about it,” said Wallace State volleyball coach Randy Daniel. “People have called from all over the country about CeCe, but with her being a fan, Alabama had a great chance of getting her once she was offered. CeCe has made so many improvements from her freshman to sophomore seasons and embraced the responsibilities and dedication it takes to become a big-time college athlete. She went from an average athlete to a great volleyball player.”
Suchey also signed with the Crimson Tide on Thursday.
Suchey, who sat out last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, is in the mix to be one of Wallace State’s top arms on the mound in 2016. Suchey, an ASWA honorable mention All-State selection out of Mortimer Jordan, pitched in seven games during his freshman season at Wallace State in 2014, tossing 21 2/3 innings before experiencing elbow troubles.
Wallace State baseball wrapped up its fall season last month, and Suchey flourished for the Lions.
“It means a lot to sign with Alabama. It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the SEC and in Division I baseball. Once I was injured, I wasn’t sure I could get back to where I was before. It’s not a 100 percent thing you are going to make it back,” Suchey said. “I’ve worked as hard as I could and this makes it worthwhile.”
Suchey, who became the fifth Wallace State pitcher in as many years set to sign with an SEC school, was among four baseball players to sign on Thursday, joining Will Eiland, Jansen Acton and Turner Vincent.
Eiland, an Auburn native, signed with South Alabama after pitching to a 2.37 ERA primarily out of the bullpen as a freshman for Wallace State.
“It’s one of the biggest days of my life. It’s always been a dream of mine to play Division I baseball, and I couldn’t be here without coach (Randy) Putman giving me the opportunity to play here, coach me up and make me a better player and person,” Eiland said. “Just like at Wallace State, South Alabama is able to produce guys at a high level and gives guys the opportunity to make the major leagues one day.”
Acton signed with the Georgia State Panthers, and Vincent is hooking on with Columbus State. Acton struck out 16 batters in 20 1/3 innings last season out of the bullpen, and Vincent hit a team-leading .337 with three homers and 17 RBIs.
All four baseball players will look to improve upon Wallace State’s conference runner-up finish last season.
“I’m very proud of all of these men. They are hard workers and stand for the right things. As long as they continue to do that, they’ll be successful in this game, but also in life as a whole,” said Wallace State baseball coach Randy Putman. “We are counting on them to help us accomplish the goals we want to accomplish in 2016. These guys will put us on the right track.”
Wallace State men’s golf sophomores Sylas Elliott and Eli Marty signed with South Alabama and the University of Montevallo respectively.
Elliott, a sophomore from Cullman, finished runner-up this week in the Central Alabama-Willow Point Country Club Invitational, capping off a strong fall season.
In September, Elliott was the low medalist at the Wallace State Fall Invitational for the second consecutive season, and was named a 2nd-team NJCAA All-American during his freshman season with the Lions.
Marty, a Good Hope graduate, has been named to multiple all-tournament teams this fall after being named a 3rd-team NJCAA All-American as a freshman last season.
Wallace State softball’s Molli Garcia and Katie Parr also signed letter of intents on Thursday.
Garcia, a California native, signed with UAB after hitting .296 with seven homers and 29 RBI last season as Wallace State’s catcher.
“I’m very excited. It’s a bigger step in my life and I’m ready for the challenge,” Garcia said. “Being away from home has made me a better person and matured me a lot. I’m ready to see what we can do this season.”
Parr is joining the UNA Lions. She hit .389 with a team-high 11 homers and 55 RBI as a freshman for Wallace State, the nine-time ACCC champs and two-time NJCAA national champion.
For Wallace State volleyball, sophomore middle hitter Kheala Roberts signed with Auburn-Montgomery. Roberts, a first-team ACCC All-Region and all-tournament selection for the Lions, will enter the national tournament next week with 338 kills, 124 blocks and a .491 hitting percentage.
Wallace State men’s basketball sophomore Wilmer Johnson, a transfer from Baltimore City Community College, is signing with Arkansas State this week.
Wallace State has additional sophomore across all of its sports still mulling four-year offers.
Wallace State volleyball’s Kheala Roberts, left, signed with Auburn-Montgomery, while Cidavia Hall inked with the University of Alabama.
Wallace State softball player’s Katie Parr, left, and Molli Garcia signed with UNA and UAB respectively on Thursday.
Wallace State baseball players to sign with four-year colleges during the early period were, from left, Jansen Acton, Turner Vincent, Will Eiland and Garrett Suchey