As the pen hit the paper on Tuesday, December 3, 17-year-old Stuttgart Ricebird All-conference baseball player, Carson Crawford, made his commitment to the University of Arkansas- Rich Mountain in Mena, AR, official.
In front of a crowd in the SHS library, Carson signed his National Letter of Intent, committing to the expanding athletic program at U of A Rich Mountain.
Since his freshman year at SHS, Carson has dominated in the starting lineup as the third baseman on the varsity team. Passionate about the game, now he will be able to continue to play on a collegiate level.
With Carson’s strong arm and able to throw across the diamond, SHS baseball coach, Dontrell Brown, believes Carson will be a great fit for the U of A program under the direction of Coach Lance Spigner, who was named one of the state’s most accomplished high school coaches before being named head coach at U of A Rich Mountain.
“I think Carson will be able to build and achieve the things that he wants to do,” said Coach Brown. “He works hard and he is a really good kid.”
Since the age of four Carson has been active in the sport.
Humbled by the opportunity, Carson thanked God for blessing him with the ability to play baseball and his family for their support.
“The Lord, without him, none of this would be possible,” said Carson. “My dad, he hit me a lot of balls in our front yard. He would always make me end on a good note.”
Carson also thanked his mom, who always told him to practice like he was going to play.
“This is a big deal for Carson and for us too,” said Greg Crawford, Carson’s dad. “God did bless him with the ability and thankful he can continue to play ball after high school.”
Carson is the definition of hard work, according to those who have witnessed his work ethic.
“I believe I’ve worked pretty hard,” said Carson. “Since my ninth grade year, I have woken up at 5 a.m. to get to 6 a.m. workouts three times a week.”
If he could achieve anything, Carson said that it would be to be the best baseball player and teammate.
Carson’s ultimate sports goal achievement is to hit more home runs than last year and receive All-State honors.
Carson plans to receive a degree in Ag Business and if offered the opportunity, he plans to pursue baseball on a professional level.
“Achieving my sporting goals is very important to me,” said Carson. “I put in a lot of time and work and I really don’t like to fail.”
