Nansemond River senior baseball players Robert Fitzwater, Greg Parker, Corbin Townsend and Ethan Woodruff committed to play baseball at the college level during a signing ceremony on Thursday at Nansemond River High School.

Together with senior Kieton Rivers, who signed with Coastal Carolina University in November, this group of senior Warriors baseball players made school history.

“We’ve had some bigger groups, but this is the first time we’ve had all of the seniors moving on to play baseball,” NR coach Mark Stuffel said.

Townsend and Woodruff signed with Methodist University, Parker committed to Virginia Wesleyan College and Fitzwater signed with Patrick Henry Community College.

“I’m happy,” Townsend said shortly after the ceremony. “I’m ready to compete in college, been waiting for it all my life.”

He had drawn interest elsewhere, but decided to go to Methodist because “they seemed the most interested in me, and I like the way they ran their program.”

Because Methodist’s baseball team is at the NCAA Division III level, the school cannot offer athletic scholarships, but Townsend is receiving academic scholarship money.

He wants to major in athletic training, and on the field, he expects to see time on the mound and at either first or third base.

Good first and secondhand knowledge influenced Woodruff’s decision to sign with Methodist.

“There’s a few former Nansemond River players down there, and I’ve heard word from them that it’s a good program, and I’ve visited, and I’ve loved it down there,” he said. “It was great, and they have all the programs I want to do. It’s just a great school. It fit for me.”

Like Townsend, Woodruff will be receiving academic scholarship money. He plans to major in biology and figures he will be a pitcher for the Monarchs.

For Parker, the college decision was between Virginia Wesleyan and Norfolk State University. His focus on what he would be doing in the classroom influenced him to go with Virginia Wesleyan.

“I was more worried about the education than the baseball, looking past (baseball) to my future,” he said, noting he wants to major in sports medicine with the goal of being a physical therapist.

Like Methodist, Virginia Wesleyan fields a team at the NCAA Division III level, and like his teammates headed to Methodist, he will benefit from academic scholarship money.

Parker said he is not sure yet how Marlins coaches plan to use him on the field.

Fitzwater said he has been dreaming of playing college ball since he was 4, playing in Bennett’s Creek Little League.

With regard to his time at Patrick Henry Community College, he said, his goals are “just to go up there and play hard and just do really good in school so I graduate from there and then hopefully go somewhere else.”

After getting his associate degree, he hopes to continue playing baseball at a larger school.

He said the Patriots plan for him to play pitcher and third baseman, similar to the role he fills at Nansemond River.