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Tigart signs with Webster University
SIKESTON -- One of the area's top pitchers and Sikeston's go-to arm is headed to Webster University.
Sikeston senior Trey Tigart recently inked his name on a letter of intent to play baseball for the Gorlocks in St. Louis.
"Their coaching staff is great," Tigart said about what he liked most about Webster's baseball program. "I made a visit up there two weekends ago and met a few of the other guys and fit in pretty well. They also have a really good education department. A degree from there is top-notch."
Tigart, who was a first-team all-conference selection in the SEMO Conference last season, drew interest from Webster from a variety of places. They saw Tigart during an event in Columbia, over the fall right before school went into session and again in Edwardsville, Ill., where they asked Tigart if he wanted to visit the campus.
"They invited me up for a visit and I pretty much decided that's where I wanted to be," said Tigart.
The Gorlocks, who are coached by Bill Kurich, are a Division III school and compete in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC).
While some look to play for the biggest colleges in the best conferences, having the roman numeral 'III' beside Webster's name doesn't bother Tigart in the least. And why would it? Webster has been one of the top Division III baseball programs for the past decade losing no more than 15 games a season since 2004.
"That's what actually played a big part of my decision in going there," Tigart said about Webster's success on the diamond. "People tend to get caught up in Division I or playing for a big school. But, they have a winning system in place there. They've won seven conference championships in a row, finished fourth in their World Series -- they have been winning.
"Coach Kurich pitched it to me like this, you can go to a Division I school but nothing says you're going to play there. They have been really successful lately. They have a system going and it's working great."
Tigart finished last season with a 6-1 record and a 0.80 ERA for the Bulldogs. He routinely saw the hill when big games arrived, solidifying his role as a 'big game' pitcher for Sikeston head baseball coach Alan Scheeter.
"We really relied on him a lot last year," Scheeter said. "We knew that if we had him on the mound we had a really good shot at a win. Trey's real smart and understands what pitches to throw. He's not an overpowering guy that's going to throw it right by you, but he can be sneaky-fast. He's got several different pitches and he can throw any one of them for a strike at any time."
Tigart wasn't rattled by the pressure of big games. In fact, he came to enjoy being on the mound during those games that had more meaning.
Tigart will try and take his high stakes gaming ability with him to Webster, who see their fair share of big games as well.
Last season, the Gorlocks went 36-14, won their seventh-straight conference championship and finished fourth in the Division III World Series.
"I kind of fell in love with the pressure situations," Tigart said. "I like to pitch in those big games. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But, you have to put yourself out there and see what happens."
Tigart, who plans to major in Biology, is unsure about his immediate impact with the Gorlocks once he's enrolled.
"I think it's a good fit for him. It's a small school and it's close by," said Scheeter. "It's close enough that he can come back home and visit any time and far enough away that he can have the whole college experience.
"I'm not sure if he's going to step right in and be able to contribute his first year, but whether he does or doesn't, he's going to get a lot of valuable experience. By the time he leaves there, I think he's going to be a successful college pitcher."