LINN - Ryan Mantle began getting looks from colleges the summer before his junior year when he played with the St. Louis Gamers. That attention came to fruition Wednesday when the Linn senior signed a letter of intent to play at Missouri State.
"What really stood out to me was the coaches," Mantle said. "I just really enjoy the coaches. They've had a good program for a long time, and they've been there forever."
Mantle said he was also recruited by Missouri, Notre Dame, Kansas State, Iowa and Indiana State.
He verbally committed to Missouri State last October.
"It felt good to finally sign officially," he said.
Mantle was a first-team all-state player his sophomore and junior years when he batted .629 and .577, respectively. He also had an ERA of 1.83 in his sophomore year and 1.95 his junior season, when Linn finished third in Class 2. Mantle, who hit 11 home runs last season, was named a Perfect Game USA Second Team All-American this year.
He said he excited to return to the diamond in his senior year with the Wildcats.
"It's kind of nice, because a lot of other people stress out about senior year," Mantle said. "It's nice to know where I'm going to go, and I'm excited to go there."