NCAA November signings. Venice, Riverview, Sarasota, Mooney among those celebrating
A roundup from the NCAA November 2026 signing period. Venice Venice High School held its National Signing Day ceremony on Wednesday, November 11, celebrating 14 athletes. Six Venice baseball players signed on Wednesday, including right-handed pitcher Kasen Poplin (Liberty University), outfielder/right-handed pitcher RJ Shields (Mississippi State), outfielder August Backman (Florida), shortstop Graham Houston (LSU), catcher Jonathan Mauro (Columbia) and pitcher Aiden Cary (Santa Fe Community College). Shields is one of the top recruits in the country, ranking 97th nationally, according to Perfect Game. During the 2026 season, Shields posted a slash line of .299/.417/.448 in 87 at bats. He had a 0.34 ERA and 0.79 WHIP, striking out 26 batters. “It was nice to sign next to all my brothers,” Shields said. “I’ve been playing with them for four years. It’s just really cool to see how we’ve come.” Alongside Shields, Backman inked his commitment to Florida. Last season, Backman was talking to both Florida and Virginia, during a standout junior season. He had a slash line of .485/.587/.713 in 101 at bats. Once Backman took an unofficial visit to Florida, he cancelled his visit to Virginia that was scheduled for the next weekend. Backman said he was shown everything