On signing day, Kansas produces strong senior class of Division I baseball talent

Eight athletes from local Kansas high schools signed Wednesday to play Division I baseball, more than half of them heading to Southeastern Conference schools.

Both Derek Ripp (St. James Academy) and Zebulon Vermillion (Shawnee Mission East) will play at Arkansas, while two others, EJ Freeman from Turner and Daniel Harper from Bishop Miege, are on their way to Kentucky. Luke Anderson, another Shawnee Mission East product, signed to play at Missouri.

Outside of the SEC, Daniel Hegarty (Blue Valley) is headed to Kansas, Lucas Scheele (St. James) to Kansas State and Zach Reeder (Shawnee Mission Northwest) to the University of Evansville.

“Several from this area got drafted last year, and that class was great,” Vermillion said. “But we’ve got some really great players in our class, and we’re hoping to make Kansas City an even bigger outlet for colleges to find baseball talent.”

Grunhard to Notre Dame

Bishop Miege senior Cailey Grunhard, who swam in this year’s Olympic trials in Omaha, is continuing the family tradition and heading to South Bend, Ind.

Grunhard — whose father, former Chiefs player Tim Grunhard, played at Notre Dame — has been committed there since May but signed her paperwork Wednesday.

“It’s really exciting and I’m just really glad that everything is kind of finalized now,” Grunhard said. “I just can’t wait for next year. I feel like I really fit in there, and the program is growing a lot, which I’m excited to be a part of.”

Several other local swimmers are headed to college on Division I scholarships. Local girls include Basehor-Linwood’s Aubrey Torkelson (Arkansas) and Shawnee Mission East’s Crissie Blomquist (Kansas). Boys swimmers competing in Division I will be Blue Valley’s Sam Disette (Alabama) and Lawrence Free State teammates Jordan Portela and Evan Yoder (both heading to Minnesota).

Worth noting

▪ Local Kansas volleyball talent will reach far and wide at the collegiate level next year. Two — Blue Valley West’s Madison Lilley (Kentucky) and Shawnee Mission East’s Sara Maddox (Mississippi State) — will be Southeastern Conference foes. Mariah Brim, from St. Thomas Aquinas, signed to play at Florida State. Free State’s Naomi Hickman is heading to Creighton, Olathe Northwest’s Tyanna Omazic to Illinois and Bishop Miege’s Hannah Weber to Louisiana-Lafayette.

▪ Jamichael Morgan, out of Blue Valley Northwest, signed to play basketball at Oral Roberts next year. At 6 feet 4, Morgan is versatile but primarily plays shooting guard.

▪ Kansas State’s track and cross country programs will receive a couple of local products, with Lansing’s Victoria Robinson and Spring Hill’s Dylan Brenneman both signing to run there.

▪ McKenzie Weber, from Blue Valley Southwest, will keep her softball talents within Kansas next year. She signed to play at Wichita State.

▪ Olathe Northwest third baseman Mady Young signed to play Division I softball at Northern Colorado.

▪ One of the farthest-reaching faxes from Kansas City’s signing day was Madison Piper’s. The Lawrence Free State senior signed to play basketball at Santa Clara.

▪ Shawnee Mission East’s Ellie Braly, who has rowed with the Kansas City Rowing Club for five years, signed to row at Kansas State.

▪ Nebraska’s gymnastics program gains Shawnee Mission West’s Anika Dujakovich.

▪ St. James’ Clay Lautt, two-time Kansas Class 5A state wrestling champion, signed to wrestle at North Carolina.

▪ St. James Academy shooting guard Zach Thornhill signed to play basketball at Nebraska Omaha.

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 8:39 PM with the headline "On signing day, Kansas produces strong senior class of Division I baseball talent."