Lakeside senior Ashton Wheelock heads into his final season of high school baseball with one less decision to make after announcing his commitment to continue his education and baseball career at Gannon University in Erie, Pa.
“It is super exciting to have to opportunity to move on and play at the next level,” Wheelock said. “I’ve been playing baseball for as long as I could remember and it’s always been a dream of mine to compete at the highest level.”
Wheelock felt right at home during a visit to Gannon and he’s excited about his opportunity with the program.
“I chose Gannon because as soon as I stepped foot on campus, I felt loved by the coaches and players,” he said. “It just felt right to me. They have a lot of good going in their program and I really wanted to be a part of it.”
Gannon recruited Wheelock as an outfielder and pitcher.
As a junior, he batted .421 with a .516 on-base percentage with 32 hits, eight doubles, and a triple. He also compiled a 5-3 pitching record with a 2.05 earned run average and 44 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings of work.
“I will fit in that role perfectly because I love to hit and go out there and compete,” he said. “It is hard to keep a kid out of a lineup that competes like that.”
Now that his future is mapped, Wheelock can focus entirely on his senior season and leading the Dragons to a league title and maybe more.
“I think our conference is going to be very competitive this year so we are going to make it our goal to finish on top to end off my high school career,” he said.
