Pirate Baseball’s Wigginton Signs with Spalding University
Front Row (L to R): Melissa Stewart (mother), Eric Wigginton, Karen Wigginton (Stepmother)
Back Row (L to R): Brian Stewart (Stepfather), Aiden Stewart (Sister), Brian Hester (Charlestown Baseball Coach), Kurt Meyer (Rawlings Tigers Coach) and Jeff Wigginton (Father)
Yesterday, Charlestown baseball senior Eric Wigginton was joined by family, teammates, and coaches to sign his celebratory letter of intent to attend school and play baseball at Spalding University in the fall.
Located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, Spalding University (SU) is a non-traditional private liberal-arts college with certificate, undergraduate, and graduate programs in seventeen areas of study. Spalding University is a Top 5 School in the United States among those who operate on a block schedule where instead of taking four or more classes over 18 weeks twice per week, students take one or two classes every six weeks daily for approximately 100 minutes per day Monday through Thursday, allowing them to graduate in the same amount of time.
Spalding competes in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 15 NCAA Division III sports including baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, track (indoor and outdoor), softball, and volleyball. Spalding baseball is currently receiving votes in the 2021 edition of the Collegiate Baseball News preseason poll. The Golden Eagles finished the shortened 2020 season with an 11-3 record, including a win over preseason No. 23 ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Golden Eagles were ranked 18th in the Perfect Game Top 25 and on track for a third consecutive 30-win season when the 2020 season was shut down due to COVID-19.
Wigginton, who is a CHS Gold Glove winner, will major in business management and serve as a pitcher for the Eagles. Wigginton became a member of the Lumber Yard Baseball Training Facility’s 90 MPH Club this winter. The Lumber Yard is home to Wigginton’s travel baseball team, the Southern Indiana Rawlings Tigers Velo. When asked about his opportunity to play at the next level with the Eagles, Eric said, “When weighing all the pros and cons of what I was looking for in both a school, location, and opportunities in athletics, Spalding was the obvious choice. I am incredibly grateful for the support and instruction of my coaches, teammates, and teachers throughout the years who have played a role in my development as a student-athlete, and I am humbled by the belief that the Spalding coaching staff has placed in me to contribute to the Eagles’ pitching staff.”
Charlestown baseball coach Brian Hester shared the following sentiments on Wigginton: “Eric Wigginton is a coach’s dream. His passion, loyalty, and respect for the game and all that are involved has allowed him to excel as a player and person. His determination to work hard and to love the game of baseball has allowed him to achieve his goal of playing at the collegiate level.”
The Charlestown High School athletic department and WPMQ, The Pirate Network congratulate Eric and wish him a healthy and prosperous future as a Spalding University Golden Eagle.
Wigginton is the first of several Charlestown senior athletes expected to sign to play intercollegiate athletics in the coming months, so follow as we will share this news for all of those seniors.
Article contributed by WPMQ, The Pirate Network’s Dalton Hester.
