by Anthony Fontana
It all started in Fort Myers, FL for the Perfect Game tournament. Game 3 under the lights at Terry Park.
I stepped up to the plate, I got a first pitch fastball and absolutely crushed a line drive over the center fielder for a double. Standing on second base it was just a regular RBI double to me but little did I know that double would change my life.
A few days later when the tournament was over, I received an email from coach Taylor Harbin, assistant coach at Furman University . Once I saw Furman University emailed me, I was excited because of how awesome their conference is. So Coach Harbin and I spoke for a little while about the program and I decided to go on a visit to Furman. A little before my visit i went to a few other schools–one of them being Arizona State. The visit I had there was amazing. I said to myself, ‘what could possibly be better than this?’. One of the coaches that helped me with the recruiting process was Chris Sipp. He’s my coach, but he’s also like a big brother to me. After speaking to Coach Sipp for hours and hours about the recruiting process, he really told me how awesome Furman is and made it clear for me to go visit Furman.
So time goes by and I went on my visit at Furman and I LOVED IT. Meeting Head coach Brett Harker, Coach Harbin, Coach Davis, and Coach Kimmel was a life changing experience. I have never seen a group of coaches with this much ambition. Coach Harker has a plan to do big things and I am positive Furman is on the rise. Seeing everything at Furman was incredible, they easily have one of the best facilities in the country. and Playing midweek games against Clemson and South Carolina in front of thousands of fans at the amazing Fluor Field.
What is better than that?
The campus was gorgeous, and Furman offers a top-of-the-line education as well. At Furman we have a young coaching staff that really knows how to have fun and, most importantly, knows how to win. On my trip back home I was in awe. I could not believe the experience I had there–it was by far the best college trip I have ever went on. Everything about Furman blew every other college out of the water I knew I wanted to go to Furman but i wanted to make sure it was the right choice. I called up Coach Harker and he was kind enough to let me stay over night with some of the players.
I was able to spend time with RHP Will Gaddis, LHP Grant Schuermann, INF Sims Griffith, and catcher Jason Costa. These guys really made my decision clear. That night I knew Furman was the place for me. So the next day I was gathered by all my friends and family and made the call to commit to Furman University.
Thank you to all my family, friends, and coaches, and teammates for supporting me from day 1. Go Dins!
