Kaira English, Eric Geddes, McKennah Metzger among those to sign National Letter of Intent

From Nov. 8 to Nov. 15, a number of local athletes put pen to paper and committed to play their chosen sports at the next level.

Here's a look at all the athletes who took part in last week's signing ceremonies across Portage County. If we missed anyone, feel free to email sports writer Jonah Rosenblum at jlevinrosenblum@gannett.com.

Aurora

McKennah Metzger (Coastal Carolina softball) has established herself as a force at the plate, batting .558 with 11 homers, 12 doubles and 54 RBIs in 101 plate appearances last year, and in the circle, where she finished 2023 with an 18-4 record and a 1.50 ERA with 177 strikeouts against 27 walks.

Brooklyn Millard (University of Toledo golf) will remain in the Buckeye State after establishing herself as a longtime fixture on the local golf scene, including state runner-up honors in 2021. This season, Millard earned Suburban American Golfer of the Year honors.

Nate Fletcher (University of Rhode Island baseball) continues a long tradition of outstanding Aurora arms progressing to the next level. A year ago, Fletcher was second on the Greenmen in innings pitched (29⅔), going 4-2 with a 4.25 ERA and well over a strikeout per inning with 39 K's.

Sam Stask (Ursuline College basketball) emerged as a sharpshooter as a sophomore and was a stellar floor general as well as a junior, averaging 13.7 points, 3.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals.

Field

L.J. Riley (Hiram College wrestling) was the Metro Athletic Conference runner-up at 175 pounds last season, including a semifinal win by fall in 49 seconds.

Garfield

Eric Geddes (Ohio Dominican baseball) helped lead the G-Men on their longest postseason run in nearly a decade, including winning performances on the mound in the sectional championship and district semifinal games. Geddes finished 2023 with a 9-1 record and a 1.30 ERA and also batted .456 with 17 of his 41 hits going for extra bases.

Mogadore

Katie Gardner (Walsh University softball) was last seen (in the high school circle anyway) lifting the Wildcats to their first district championship. Gardner went 12-3 with a 1.48 ERA while also playing a leading role in the lineup with a .538 batting average and team-best 37 runs.

Rootstown

Shelbie Krieger (Miami University softball) has been one of the area's hardest-throwing and most impressive pitchers since she broke onto the scene as a freshman, including last year's 1.36 ERA and 143 strikeouts against just 17 walks. Oh, and she hit .556.

Natalie Hammerschmidt (Tiffin University softball) has done a wonderful job catching Krieger all these years and has also been a force at the plate, batting .396 last year with 16 RBIs.

Southeast

Nate Muncy (Kent State baseball) is making the short trip down Interstate 76 from Palmyra Township to Schoonover Stadium. A first team all-Portage Trail Conference standout last year, the southpaw brings big-time stuff, including a strong heater and a big, breaking curve.

Waterloo

Kaira English (Walsh University soccer) established herself as one of the greatest scorers in Portage County history even with a torn ACL that sidelined her for her senior season. In her last year for the Vikings, English notched 54 goals and 13 assists as they reached the district championship game.

Sydney Jackson (Hiram College soccer) has long been a leading facilitator for the Vikings, whether its her set pieces or her poised passes from the midfield, with her heroics including 30 assists as a senior and 26 as a junior.

Aidan King (Ferrum College wrestling) battled significant injuries throughout his junior season to serve as a district alternate and was most recently spotted going 9-1 and earning all-America status at the Disney Duals.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: See who signed a National Letter of Intent across Portage County