Triple play: Three Berwick athletes sign college letters

BERWICK -- Berwick High's softball and baseball seasons are months away. But the Panthers celebrated a triple-header Wednesday.

Three Berwick athletes signed letters of intent to play in college. Ella Hover signed her letter to attend and play softball for LSU-Eunice. Two pitchers for Berwick's 2022 state runner-up baseball team, Mason Johnston and Hayden Robinson, signed letters to attend and play baseball for Nicholls State.

"We're extremely, extremely proud of these young people," Athletic Director Mike Walker told the four-deep audience at the BHS gym, "not so much for the good athletes they are, but even better human beings. That's what we strive for here."

Hover, recruited by LSU-E as an outfielder, was drafted into other duty last spring, outgoing Berwick coach Joe Russo said Wednesday.

"We had to use her as a pitcher," Russo said. "She's the type of player who will play where you need her to play. That's the kind of unselfish player she is. ... She's a natural athlete on both sides of the ball."

Incoming coach Liane Albert doesn't know whether Hover will be on the mound during her senior season this spring.

"We'll have to see how it goes," Albert said.

No matter where she plays in the field, Hover's offensive punch isn't in question. She hit .560 last season and was recruited by LSU-E as an outfielder.

"She's just an outstanding person, and an even better person than athlete," Albert said.

LSU-E is coming off its 10th National Junior College Athletic Association playoff appearance and is led by NJCAA All-American Chloe Bennett.

"The ability to win a championship really opened my eyes," Hover said. "When I got there, it felt like home."

The two baseball signees made the pitching mound their primary residence last spring, when the Panthers came within a run of winning the state 3A baseball title. Through the playoffs, Berwick combined stingy pitching and defense with a big-hitting attack.

"We got hot, but in the championship game, it didn't go the way we wanted," Berwick coach Seth Henry said.

Still, Johnston went 8-1.

"His command got better throughout the year," Henry said.

Johnston said he signed with Nicholls State because "it's pretty close to home and I've got a lot of family and friends who went there. I feel like I can make an impact on the team."

Robinson, who went 12-1, is the coach's stepson and numbers former Patterson and Central Catholic coach Tommy Minton, former Morgan City High coach Gayle Robinson and former Berwick coach Lud Henry among this relatives.

Robinson posted a 12-1 record for Berwick last year as a junior.

"He took a tremendous leap from his sophomore year to his junior year," Seth Henry said. "I think this year you could see a bigger jump. He put some size on him."

Robinson credited his sophomore-to-junior improvement on weight training.

"I really starting taking the weight room seriously," Robinson said. "I started to gain some more confidence in myself. I started pushing harder."

As for Nicholls, "I've always loved the place, and it's only 30 miles down the road."