Grafton signs with SWIC
Steeleville's Andrew Grafton is going to continue his career at the next level, earning a full athletic scholarship to Southwestern Illinois College.
The Warriors' catcher is hoping to build the momentum of Steeleville's first regional championship in 16 years into a successful baseball career in college. He will join a Blue Storm program that went 21-29 last season.
"They're close to home and they offered to pay for tuition, so that really helped," said Grafton, on why he chose SWIC. "Just getting a chance to play baseball, which is the best sport ever."
Entering the Class 1A Goreville Sectional last season, Grafton was batting .254 with two doubles, a triple and eight RBIs. He hit the first home run of his high school career against Gallatin County in the sectional semifinals, helping Steeleville advance to the sectional championship against the host Blackcats.
"Honestly, it's awesome," Grafton said on being a college athlete. "I'm just thankful to all the coaches who spent time with me to get me where I am and I'm thankful to be able to move to the next level and test myself there."
Defensively, Grafton committed only two errors at catcher - the position he will play for the Blue Storm - last season and had 15 putouts and six assists entering the sectional round.
As far as whether he'd start right away for SWIC, Grafton said the Blue Storm have a fall league when that is decided. Currently, he is playing with Steeleville Post 480 in the Senior Legion ranks.
Post 480 is scheduled to participate in the Valmeyer Tournament on Saturday and Sunday before hosting Pinckneyville-Du Quoin on Tuesday and traveling to Carbondale (June 28) and Orient (June 30).
Steeleville will begin play in the Harold Harmsen Wooden Bat Classic on July 1.
"Just trying to work at things and making sure my hitting improves as well as getting stronger and faster," Grafton said on preparing himself for college ball.
Grafton's Warriors coach, John Sutton, noted the improvement he's seen from his catcher over the years.
"He got much better this year, all the way through," Sutton said. "He's so much improved, even from last year.
"Last year, there were days when he struggled and this year, he was solid all the way through. Offensively, he came around at the end of the year and I think he ended up hitting around .270."
Sutton noted that Grafton changed his mind on playing collegiate baseball toward the end of the season.
"I'm happy for him," Sutton said. "He had told me a month before the season was over he wasn't going to play baseball in college and he turned it around at the end of the season and he came to me and asked me to call some colleges for him."