Jefferson Dragon Sports

Graduation for Jefferson's class of 2010 is tonight, but five of those graduates had a special day of their own Thursday.

The Dragons had five student-athletes sign letters of intent in three sports - three baseball players, a track and field and volleyball standout all inked scholarships.

"It's a tradition here, obviously, with all the athletic programs," baseball coach Tommy Knight said. "If you come to Jefferson, you expect to be successful, you expect to be on a winning team and you expect to compete for a region championship every year."

The talented diamond trio of Jamie Sexton, Kyle Hardy and Jake Fields revealed their future baseball plans.

Sexton will head to West Georgia College in the fall as a pitcher after going 10-1 with a 2.38 ERA this season.

"(Signing) is kind of a reward for all the hard work you put in during the offseason and during the season. It's a great feeling that you'll get to play another four seasons in college," Sexton said.

Hardy will attend Truett-McConnell College after hitting .365 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs this season.

Knight said that Hardy's biggest challenge was hitting behind Fields, who was often intentionally walked. But Hardy routinely came through for the Dragons, delivering clutch hits throughout the year.

The reason Fields was walked so frequently was due to his stellar numbers.

The senior hit .628 with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs. He had an on-base percentage of .737. On the mound, he was 11-1 with a 2.55 ERA.

Fields signed with Middle Georgia College, a junior college in Cochran, and will more than likely have four-year colleges and even professional scouts contacting him in the near future.

"He'll definitely have some options once he's done with junior college," Knight said. "Somewhere down the road, he's going to have the chance to play for money."

Stephanie Fincher, an outside hitter on the volleyball team who was an All-Area first-team performer the last two seasons for the Dragons, signed with North Greenville University in South Carolina.

Fincher set school records for the highest kill percentage in a season and had the most aces in a single game.

"I never thought I'd be signing a scholarship somewhere. That was probably one of the best feelings, besides graduating, but signing was probably the icing on the cake," Fincher said.

Josh Kles, a do-it-all thrower, announced he will be attending Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Ky., where he will compete in the shot put, discus and hammer events.

Just last week, Kles won both discuss and shot put championships at the state meet. His throw of 56 feet, 21/2 inches was not only his personal best, but it broke a school record that had stood since 1983.