Former Lady Bulldog signs with Williams Baptist College

davidj@standard-democrat.com

WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. -- After two years of excelling at Three Rivers College, Sikeston native Sydney Davied will now be roaming the outfield at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge, Ark.

With a few offers on the table, Davied chose Williams Baptist for several reasons.

"WBC is a small school and I liked the coach," Davied said. "It's also not far from home. It was a difficult decision just because I was trying to decide what was best for me and I can say that I am very happy with my decision."

Another reason playing into the decision was the success of the Lady Eagles. Last season, Williams Baptist finished fourth in the NAIA National Championship and had a 46-9 record. The fourth place finish is the highest in school history.

"I knew they had a good program," Davied said.

Davied said she will probably play left or right field for the Lady Eagles after a standout two seasons in the outfield at Three Rivers.

In 62 games as a sophomore at Three Rivers, Davied batted .384 with four home runs, 39 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. She also led the team with 19 doubles and three triples. In her career, she had 11 home runs for the Lady Raiders.

Those numbers led to her being named to the All-Region XVI team and MCCAC All-Conference team and she was named to the Region XVI all-tournament team in April.

"She came in and just really worked hard and improved her bat to where she really hit the ball well for us last year and improved this year," said Three Rivers coach Jack Childress.

Davied was also an Academic All-American, finishing with a 3.91 GPA. She plans to major in business administration and finance.