WESTPHALIA - When his senior baseball season rolls around, Will Robertson won't have to worry about where he'll be playing the following year. Instead, he can focus on getting the Fatima Comets to a fourth consecutive Final Four.
Robertson, who hit the game-winning home run in last year's state title game, signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play at Creighton.
"I had several opportunities, but Creighton just felt right," he said. "With the school and just academically I felt really good about it. And baseball-wise, they're a really good program, and at the end of the decision it more just came down to comfort, and I really felt comfortable with it."
Robertson said it was "a load off (his) shoulders" to have the decision made before the season. Head coach Scott Kilgore agreed.
"When you've got an athlete that you know can play at the next level, what I always try to do as a coach is I try to get them to figure out what they're going to do next year before their senior year," Kilgore said. "So yes, it does relieve a lot of pressure on them. And that way, there's no confusion.
"It really boils down to pressure. You go into your senior year, you're wanting to have one of the best years in the last four years that you can. You don't need that bearing down on your shoulders."
Kilgore said he left it up to Robertson and his family to determine which school felt most comfortable.
"You find a school that's going to work for you, that you're comfortable with the coach, that you're comfortable with the facilities, that academically you can fit in," Kilgore said. "Because some schools, it's just not the right fit, and you don't want to go into a situation like that, because that's just going to be a burden on you."
Robertson has started two years for the Comets and was on Fatima's varsity team for its state championship in 2013.
"Will, he's a very good player," said Brady Weavers, who signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play at Culver-Stockton, "I hope he does well."
Fatima senior Sammey Bunch also signed a letter of intent Wednesday, announcing her decision to play at Northern Iowa. Kilgore said Fatima had never had two players commit to Division-I schools in the same year during his 17 years at the school.
"That's pretty special for our community," he said. "It says a lot for the size of the school we have, and I think it says a lot for the success that we've had, too. Obviously, these guys are huge contributors to the success that we've had in the past."