Buchholz baseball trio sign their Letter of Intent to play collegiately

The tradition continues for the Buchholz baseball team.

On Wednesday, J.J. Gardner (Jacksonville University), Kai So (Harvard University), and Wyatt Clarke (Belmont Abbey College) signed their National Letter of Intent to play college baseball.

The Bobcats (24-9) are coming off their first final four and state championship game appearance in program history.

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"They raised the bar in terms of where we've been and where we want to go, they've been a big part of that," said Buchholz coach and athletic director Ron Brooks.

Last year, Anthony Wilkie (Clemson University), Cooper Collins (Davidson College), and Noah Hayse (University of Central Florida) signed to play at the next level .

"We're fortunate enough to have really good student-athletes play baseball here and it's a credit to their families, it's a credit to Buchholz High School, it's a credit to our coaching staff who pour a lot into the kids, and the kids give a lot back," Brooks said.

The trio will be counted on to help lead the Bobcats in 2025.

Gardner, a first team All Area selection last year , appeared in 33 games and batted .308 as a junior.

"It's amazing, it's something I've wanted to do since I was a little kid, it's always been a dream of mine and I'm very happy that I'm able to do it now," said Gardner, who will play for the Division-I Dolphins in the Atlantic Sun conference. "Just the coaches, the atmosphere, everything kind of checked out. The campus is very nice, the coaches were very nice, that was one of the best parts, and it kind of aligned with what I stood for."

He also finished second on the team with 27 runs batted in with a team-leading 13 doubles and tied for second with four home runs.

Gardner (6'2, 215), who started on the mound in the Bobcats' 12-0 win against Bloomingdale (Valrico) in last year's Class 6A state semifinals in Fort Myers , has gained 30 pounds and grown two inches since last year.

As a junior, he finished with a 6-0 record and a 3.14 earned run average in 12 appearances.

"Heck of an athlete," Brooks said. "Big strong kid, but a big, big heart. Great team guy. His teammates care a lot about him. He has started for us since his freshman year both offensively and defensively, and on the mound. We're fortunate what he has done for us the last four years in school and on the baseball field."

So, who had the game-winning hit in last year's region final to send the Bobcats to their first final four , played in 23 games as a junior and batted .338 with 24 hits, 19 RBI, six doubles and two home runs.

"My sophomore year we lost in the regional final, that was kind of depressing, but that drove us to make it to the state championship," said So, who plans on majoring in engineering at Harvard. "We're definitely expecting to be up there again. I've been working on catching all summer."

He will take over the catcher position following the departure of Hayse.

"Kai is a tremendous hitter," Brooks said. "He got a lot better with catching throughout his time here, he'll be our starting catcher this year. I say it all the time, all he does is hit, just another really cool kid, really fun getting to know him throughout the last four years. He started out on the JV his freshman year and just kind of blossomed from there. He's been a really big staple in our lineup."

Clarke made a team-high 21 appearances on the mound last year and finished with a 2-0 record, a 1.27 ERA with six saves.

"This means a lot," Clarke said. "Ever since I was little, I dreamed of being able to play baseball at the collegiate level and being able to do that now is a big step in my life for me."

Clarke's brother, Weston, also went to Belmont Abbey after playing for the Bobcats. Weston played first base and pitched, which is what his younger brother plans to do too in 2025.

"He played four years there and was a captain, and they started looking at me when I was super young and then they decided to offer me not too long ago, so I decided to go where the coaches were the best fit for me," he said.

In 38.2 innings pitched as a junior, Wyatt had a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 64 strikeouts and 15 walks.

"He battled some injuries his first couple of years here and just really turned it on the last two years," Brooks said. "He's done great for us on the mound. He's a competitor, closed a bunch of good ball games for us last year, real important games, and it's good to see the success he's had, and it's really propelled him to where he is going to in college."

After a heartbreaking loss in the region final in 2023 , Buchholz punched its ticket to the state semifinals for the first time this past May with a 1-0 win against Pace in the region final.

"A lot of people thought last year was kind of our year, but I'm really excited about this year with the nucleus we have coming back, and the pitching that we have," Brooks said. "I think we're going to play really good defense. I think we're going to sneak up on some people offensively, so really encouraged and these three guys are a big part of that."

Clarke likes his team's chances this upcoming season because of the senior class.

"I think we learned a lot our junior year, what kind of people we are, what kind of team we are, and what we're capable of," he said. "I think we're going to be pretty good this year because the senior class has definitely experienced a lot together. We know what it takes, and we have a lot of core leadership that's ready to get after it."

However, the underclassmen will also play a key role.

"We have a big target on our back, especially in the area, but I think that this year we have a lot of kids from JV who have stepped up, especially pitching," said Gardner, who will play right field and pitch. "I think our team has a very good chance of getting back to states, if not winning it. We have very good team chemistry."