Brandon Dominy's signing party was hidden away in a corner, behind some cafeteria tables folded up and stowed to the side. A baby shower occupied the Evans High School media center where athletes typically sign.
But the Knights catcher still managed to draw a large crowd as he celebrated his athletic and academic scholarships at Augusta's Paine College, where he will play baseball next season.
The open atmosphere allowed more than a few nonbaseball players to slip in, but Dominy welcomed them all.
"He's not going to meet anybody he can't get along with," Knights coach Ricky Beale said.
Dominy received a presidential scholarship worth $18,000, along with an athletic scholarship for baseball.
He led the Knights at the plate this season, batting better than .400 heading into Friday's first-round state playoff meeting at Lee County. He's also been a fixture behind the plate, where he positioned himself one day as a young travel ball player and never moved.
His play there earned him a spot as the Knights starting catcher the past two seasons. And Dominy's team says he has the right makeup for a job that comes under scrutiny with every pitch.
"He's got a lot of heart, a lot of drive," said junior Jeff Rice. "When people put him down, he keeps going. He doesn't let little things bother him"
Dominy said Paine coach Pete Cardenas came to watch the Knights game at Richmond Academy and that his composure behind the plate caused Paine coach Pete Cardenas to take notice.
"I want to work on managing the game," Dominy said. "I'm going to try to take some pressure off the coaches."
The signing provided Dominy a temporary rest from the Knights season, but Evans was two days from its best-of-three match-up with Lee County. Dominy said he liked the Knights chances to bounce back from a disappointing finish in the Region 3-AAAA playoffs that left them with a No. 4 seed. The Knights beat Lee County 4-3 once in the season.
"We just got to get a little confidence back," Dominy said. "We probably got the best route as a four seed. If we play to our ability, we can go far."
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