Elk Grove (MPG) Nov. 8, 2023 - The NCAA’s so-called “Early Signing Period” opened Wednesday, Nov. 8, whereby Division I and Division II colleges could sign athletes to a letter of intent for scholarships, partial and full, to play their sport at the institution of higher learning. The athletes were from sports such as softball, baseball and volleyball.

Locally, six athletes from Franklin High School and eight from Elk Grove High School inked their national letters of intent.

From Franklin were baseball teammates Jordy Lopez and Nic Abraham. Lopez, who committed a couple years ago to Cal, made it official Nov. 8 he was going to Berkeley. Lopez is an outfielder/pitcher and like Abraham a key member of the 2023 Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champions. Lopez batted .349 with an OPS of 1.014.

Abraham is the Wildcats’ star pitcher. After being sought after by Pac-12 schools he decided he’d like to go the Southeast Conference and play for the University of Tennessee. Abraham’s stats during the march to the Section championship was impeccable. He was 10-0 in 12 starts for Franklin and a 0.61 ERA. In 69 innings pitched, Abraham struck out 64.

The Wildcats were 30-5 last season and won the Delta League championship with a 17-1 mark.

Others at Franklin who signed at a joint ceremony Nov. 8 were basketball player Olivia Nicolas, signing with William Jessup University, Senai Rogers, a standout soccer player on the 2023 Division I championship team, inked with Louisiana State University, along with two other Wildcat soccer team members, Abby Larocca (Cal State – San Marcos) and Kamryn Taylor (UC-Irvine).

Three members of the Elk Grove High School baseball team signed their letters together on Nov. 8. Russell Pettis, a pitcher, will head to Cal State – San Marcos, while Evan Gentil and Ned Frutchey will both attend UC-Davis next school year.

Frutchey batted .257 with an OPS of .772 and drove in 15 runs. As a pitcher, he went 6-3 in 10 starts with a 2.48 ERA. Gentil had a .281 batting average with six doubles and an OPS of .800.

Pettis, a pitcher, was 5-2 with a 2.15 ERA in 10 games. He led Herd hurlers with 58.2 innings pitched and with 66 strikeouts.

Elk Grove’s top volleyball player this fall, Hadley Gray, will play collegiately at San Francisco State next season.

Four members of Thundering Herd softball will also be playing at the next level: Addison Buckley (Sacramento State), Jenna Porto (Cal State – East Bay), Katelyn Maciel (University of Missouri/Kansas City) and Madison Carda (University of Dallas).

Letters of Intent for NCAA Division I and Division II football will be signed Dec. 20-22 in what is known as the “Early Period.” The regular signing period for football starts Feb. 7, 2024, through April 1.