By Tray Mason
Correspondent

Nansemond River’s baseball program continues to be a hotbed for talent from the Class of 2012.

On Thursday, Blake Eure and Travis Johnson signed letters of intent to play college baseball. Eure signed with UVA-Wise, and Johnson committed to play for Methodist University.

Eure, a 5’7”, 171-pound third baseman, said he had fielded a few offers from Division III schools, but felt UVA-Wise was a perfect fit for him.

“I like the environment and the mountains, because I’m an outdoor kind of guy,” said Eure. “I like the coach, and UVA-Wise was a pretty perfect fit for me.”

“It means everything, this is my dream,” Eure said of signing with a college team. “I’ve got one more step after it, so we’ll see what happens.”

Johnson will pull double duty at Methodist, playing both baseball and golf, which led to him picking the school.

“It means a lot; I’ve always had a dream to play college baseball,” he said. “Any player that loves the game wants to play college baseball.”

Johnson, who made it to the VHSL State Golf Tournament the past two seasons, will also major in professional golf management.

“It’s a great opportunity for him, and he’s getting to do both things that he loves,” said Johnson’s mother, Laura Johnson. “He’s very comfortable there, and we’re comfortable with it.”

With the two signings, the Warriors’ program now has five players signed to play college baseball, and head coach Mark Stuffel expects two more to join their ranks.

“It’s awesome,” Stuffel said. “Every year, we end up with one or two guys signed to play college baseball, but this year we’ll end up with seven. They’re just solid baseball players and good kids.”

With so many talented players on its roster, a lot is expected of the NR baseball team this season. The Warriors advanced to the state quarterfinals last year.

Kyle Moore and Brandon Lowe both committed to play at Maryland University last November. Tyler Brown committed to play at Wingate University.

The Warriors hosted a scrimmage versus York County High School on Friday and are set to open the season on the road against Grassfield High School March 13.