For Columbus East senior athletes Cole Gilley and Dalton Back, all of the years of time, determination and hard work paid off when they participated in a signing ceremony Friday in the school’s Commons.
Gilley signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Indiana State, and Back signed to play baseball at Miami (Ohio).
Last year, both Gilley and Back were instrumental in taking the Olympians to their first state finals appearance in the program’s history.
Gilley went 7-1 with a 2.13 ERA on the mound and batted .338 with 26 RBIs and 13 runs scored as a junior. He said he wants to study marketing and minor in business management.
“When I went on a visit there, I could really feel the family atmosphere there, and it just really excited me,” Gilley said. “I know there’s been guys drafted (professionally) out of Indiana State. That’s one of my goals is to get drafted after college, and the academic side, it gives you everything. That school really has everything I’m asking for, so it’s just perfect.”
Back batted .406 and led East with six triples, six home runs, 35 RBIs and 33 runs as a junior. He wants to study in kinesiology.
“I chose Miami because of the coaching staff. They’re very family-oriented, they’re very close with their players, and they’re into more than baseball. They’re more about life and making sure that you have a good life after baseball,” Back said. “That really caught my eye. The school and the worth of a Miami scholarship, and the education just made a really big impact of my decision for choosing them.”
Gilley and Back just wrapped up their final year of high school football earlier this month after falling to one of the top teams in the state, Center Grove, in the sectional.
The duo hope to make another deep postseason run in the 2020 baseball season. East coach Jon Gratz is excited to his both of his athletes continue on with their baseball careers.
“They’re both outstanding athletes in both football and baseball. I’m looking forward to following their careers as they go here,” Gratz said. “It’s really been a pleasure to coach those two guys. They’re both just great young men, and they set a great example for their teammates in the classroom, in the weight room and on the field. I’m just really proud of the way they’ve handled themselves as young men.”
