Marley signs with Warriors

From his days on the diamond playing Dixie Baseball as a youngster, Avon Park infielder Chad Marley hoped to get an opportunity of playing the game he loves in college.

That dream became a reality Thursday morning when Marley signed a scholarship to play baseball for Webber International University in the fall.

"This is a very exciting day for me," said Marley. "I've wanted to play baseball for a very long time and I'm glad to sign now and know where I'm going to college.

"Webber is an excellent business school, it's close to home and I'm comfortable with the coaching staff."

Marley, who played second base and hit .290 for the Red Devils last season, is looking forward to the challenge of taking his game to the next level.

"Webber has a good baseball program and I'm going to work on getting stronger and improving my speed," Marley said. "I want to play baseball as long as possible and I'm going to work as hard as I can to become a better player."

Webber International University (Babson Park) is an NAIA school that competes in the Sun Conference, which consists of Savannah College of Art and Design, Edward Waters College, Embry-Riddle University, Florida Memorial, Southeastern University, Warner University, Northwood University and St. Thomas University.

Webber University baseball coach Brad Niethammer, who has been at the school since 1993, liked what he saw in Marley during a recent workout.

"Avon Park baseball coach Whit Cornell played for me at Webber and he contacted me about Chad and we worked him out," said Niethammer. "We liked what we saw and we think Chad is going to be able to help us in the future.

"It's tough for a freshman to start, but Chad can play several infield positions and that kind of versatility is only going to help him and us."

The proximity to Webber University was another attractive aspect of playing for the Warriors to the Marley family.

"We're very excited for Chad because he's worked very hard for this day," said father, David Marley. "He put in the extra time and we're very proud of him.

"We were hoping he'd be close to home so we could see him play and that he could come home whenever he wanted."

Marley's work ethic was a key to his success on the diamond and off.

"Chad is a real hard-nosed kid," said Avon Park athletic director Mort Jackson. "He worked hard at every aspect of the game and he's only going to get better."