CANNONSBURG —
For Boyd County’s Jason Anders, it’s about education. Getting to play college baseball is just an extra benefit.
With family, coaches and friends looking on, Anders signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Alice Lloyd College on Friday at Boyd County High School.
After sending an email to Alice Lloyd to gauge interest, Anders was invited to a workout on campus. After that it was just putting the name on the dotted line.
“When I walked on the campus I thought it was a great place to be for the next four years of my life,” Anders said. “After the workout I felt like I was comfortable with the team and everything up there.”
But what is really important for Anders is going into Alice Lloyd’s sports management program..
“When I looked at Alice Lloyd the program looked good,” Anders said. “And I always wanted to play college baseball, so it was a perfect match for me.”
Alice Lloyd coach Jason Stowers was also in attendance for the signing.
One of the main things that impressed Stowers and the rest of the Alice Lloyd staff was not just how Anders throws, but also his potential.
“Being a smaller school you really have to evaluate a player’s potential,” Stowers said. “Jason has tons of potential. I told him he’s not really scratched the surface of what he could be. And if you look at his frame and his size, once he gets on a college weight program and starts to fill out and mature, the sky is the limit.”
Boyd County coach Brandon Ramsey knows all about Anders’ potential. But what Ramsey likes to point out is Anders’ ability to take the mound in any situation and succeed.
That’s why Anders was usually the first in relief in many games last season.
“He throws a lot of innings and we can count on him for that,” Ramsey said. “He probably appeared three to four times a week. He takes the ball whenever you ask him to do it and he goes out there and gets outs.”
The biggest example of Boyd County relying on Anders to close out a game was this past season’s 64th District championship game.
Anders came on and pitched two scoreless innings to pick up a win against rival Ashland.
Ramsey said the championship game is the perfect example of how hard Anders has worked over the years to get better on the mound.
“He’s a steady, consistent pitcher that pounds the strike zone,” Ramsey said. “He’s worked hard over the last three years here and gave all kinds of effort. He’s a really competitive kid on the field and a great kid off the field.”
Ramsey has one more season with Anders before he heads off to Pippa Passes for an Eagles uniform.
Stowers said by the time Anders gets to Alice Lloyd next fall, there could be a good chance he’ll be ready to see significant playing time.
“The one thing about him is that he has a tireless work ethic,” Stowers said. “So we hope by the time he gets there in the fall he shows he has some pitchability and a chance to compete for innings as a freshman. I think he’ll be right in the mix.”
KYLE HOBSTETTER can be reached at khobstetter@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2658.
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