PREP BASEBALL: Lemon Bay's Roberts signs with Nebraska school

ENGLEWOOD — Mayson Roberts has played baseball since he was 6. All these years later, he’s still playing the game and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

On Monday, Roberts, a Lemon Bay senior baseball player, signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Hastings College, an NAIA Division I school in Hastings, Neb.

Despite it being quite a ways away, Roberts said he liked what he saw and is looking forward to continuing his baseball and academic career.

“I liked the facilities and it felt like the place I needed to go to continue my academic and athletic career,” Roberts said. “They have brand-new facilities and have had the program for a long time. I had long conversation with the coaches and they liked me as a player and I liked what they’re doing there.”

Roberts said he’s going to be a pitcher while also playing shortstop and third base for the Broncos. He is also going to major in business administration and hopes to start a career as a golf course superintendent.

Roberts joked that he plays a lot of golf, but isn’t really that good a player. He didn’t play golf in high school, but works at the Lemon Bay Golf Club.

Roberts’ signing comes at the tail end of signing season for high school seniors. As usual, Robert’s teammates and parents were there to show support.

Roberts’ mother, Stephanie, and father, Duane, sat beside their son as he signed. Mom said that they have watched their son play since T-ball. With Nebraska being so far away, they may not be able to see him quite as much.

“It’s a bittersweet moment. Sad but also happy for the future ahead for him. It sounds like a very solid program that provides him with a lot of opportunities,” Stephanie said. “We’ve followed him from the beginning and will continue to support him in his new journey and make every trip we can.”

Duane said his son put a lot of work in to be able to reach the next level and that they will find a way to support him.

“It’s going to be tough, but we’ll make as many plane trips as possible,” he said. “They also play several schools down here in tournaments and the ability to watch the games on TV.”