ROCKINGHAM — Three months after verbally committing to Campbell University, Drew Butler made it official after signing on the dotted line.
Butler inked his letter of intent Wednesday afternoon in the Richmond Senior High School Media Center in front of his family, coaches and a handful of teammates and friends.
“I have strong family ties to Campbell,” Butler said. “The size of the school and the coaches made it a family atmosphere. Plus, the program is going in the right direction. They won 41 games last year.”
Butler’s mother attended graduate school at Campbell, which aided him in selecting the Fighting Camels over High Point.
“My parents and I thought it would be a good fit,” Butler said in August after a visit to the school in Buies Creek. “My parents and I were happy with what Campbell offered and we decided to go ahead and make a decision.”
Butler hit a combined .326 during the spring high school season and the summer league contests with 37 stolen bases and scored 45 runs.
“I had a lot of support through middle school and high school,” Butler said. “I want to thank Coach (Ricky) Young and coaches here at Richmond as well as Coach Henry McDuffie who was my travel ball coach since middle school up to ninth and 10th grade. They pushed me to my full potential.”
Young said he wasn’t surprised to see Butler receive a scholarship because of his “tremendous work ethic.” Young added he knew his shortstop would play in college, but he didn’t envision it would be at the highest level.
“As a sophomore Drew was not a Division I player,” Young said. “He worked himself into becoming a Division I player. He bought into working in the weight room and getting faster. He really worked into being a good player.”
In addition to his play on the field, Young credits Butler for his work in the classroom as well for earning his scholarship.
“He’s also a good student, which opened a lot of doors,” Young said. “I’m really happy for him.”
— Sports editor Shawn Stinson can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 14, or by email at sstinson@heartlandpublications.com.
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