A gathering storm: Paul D. Camp signs first Hurricanes
Published 9:26 am Friday, June 30, 2017
- The first-ever Paul D. Camp Community College Hurricanes baseball team. In front, from left, are Kyle Martin, Austin Younkins, Matthew Stout, Bryce Jones, Zach Pauley; second row, Ty Johnson, Dylan Beale, Paul Parker, Chase Lewis, Caleb Dodge, Khairi Gunn, Dawson Holmes; third row, Athletic Director and Head Coach David Mitchell, Coach Pat Stafford, Myles Geller, Burghie Miller, Patrick Crossman, Austin Holley, T.J. Hubbard, Hunter Stephens, Devin Sisson, Coach John Smith and Coach Dylan Bratton. Student athletes signed, but however not pictured, are Jordan McCray and Zack Groves.
FRANKLIN
Twenty-two students representing 16 different high schools signed letters of intent on Tuesday evening to become the inaugural Paul D. Camp Community College Hurricanes baseball team. The signing ceremony was in the college’s Franklin campus library.
On the Hurricanes’ roster for the 2017-2018 academic year will be Dylan Beale of Southampton High School; Patrick Crossman of Nansemond-Suffolk Academy; Caleb Dodge of Churchland High School; Dylan Duckwall of Wilson High School; Myles Geller of Nansemond River High School; Zack Groves of Norfolk Christian School; Khairi Gunn of Hampton High School; Austin Holley of Norfolk Christian School; Dawson Holmes of Isle of Wight Academy; T.J. Hubbard of Hampton High School; Ty Johnson of Hampton High School; Bryce Jones of Kings Fork High School and Virginia Wesleyan; Seth Konkel of Mighty Warriors Home School; Chase Lewis of Lakeland High School; Kyle Martin of Penn Foster High School; Jordan McCray of Hampton High School; Burghie Miller of Southampton Academy and Lenoir Community College; Zach Pauley of Abeka Academy; Devin Sisson of Rappahannock High School and Averett University; Hunter Stephens of Windsor High School; Matthew Stout of Southampton High School; and Austin Younkins of Churchland High School.
“When you sign, years to come, you’ll look back at this and say, ‘I was the first baseball player at that college,’” said Paul D. Camp President Dr. Dan Lufkin. “That’s something not a lot of people can say, especially in this global environment. You’re doing something new.”
Lufkin added that since adding a baseball program, the college has seen increased interest in enrollment, including a few student-athletes from outside of the Tidewater area. One of those is Devin Sisson, a graduate of Rappahannock High School in Warsaw who is transferring to Paul D. Camp from Averett University.
“It’s not often we’ll go out of the Western Tidewater area to get a player but Devin was recommended by [Averett’s] coaching staff for Paul D. Camp,” said athletic director and head baseball coach David Mitchell.
“One of my real close friends used to coach Devin at Averett.”
Mitchell added that Sisson is looking for an apartment in the Franklin area, but most of the other students on the team live close enough to commute.
None of the players have declared majors yet. Mitchell said this is because the signing ceremony was just the first step in the admissions process for community college athletes, which is mandated by the National Junior College Athletic Association. Signing a letter of intent locks a student into attending Paul D. Camp for at least one year. The next step is for each student to meet with admissions counselors to complete their enrollment paperwork and choose a program of study.
The fall 2017 semester at Paul D. Camp will begin on Aug. 21 and its baseball season will begin in the spring of 2018. The college still intends to create a softball team as well, but this will likely wait until either the summer or fall of 2018.
