The Pace baseball team has been making waves with its recent signing spree. On Wednesday at the school's media center, the team sent at least four more players to the collegiate level. This is a significant achievement that showcases the talent and potential of the Pace baseball program.

"Pace Baseball's Journey to Collegiate Success"

The Signing Ceremony and the Seniors

A trio of senior players signed with Pensacola State, including Madox Land, Glenn Brooks, and Grant Walters. Nash Pires, on the other hand, put pen to paper with Division I Alabama. These signings add to the rich history of Pace players who have gone on to excel at the college level, including joining the Southeastern Conference.The group now makes it five signees so far for Pace baseball. Tucker Ricks made it official with the University of West Florida last month. With all these signees over the years under head coach Jason McBride, who has been with the program since 2003 as an assistant coach and took over as the bench boss in 2014, it's a "good problem to have."Entering the 2025 season, McBride noted that the Patriots will have 11 seniors, including this group of five. There's a tradition at Pace High School, and these players are great kids. They have no ego and just love playing baseball, which makes them special to coach. McBride believes they will make an impact at the next level due to their mental makeup and who they are as players.

The 2023-2024 Season and the Turnaround

Pace had a 20-7 season that ended in a narrow 3-2 loss to Buchholz in the Region 1-6A semifinals. Buchholz fell in the state title game as the No. 1 seed in 6A. It was quite a turnaround season that started off 2-5 but then had a 14-game win streak."We have a lot of experience coming back. I think we have a chance to be really good, offensively, with these guys and all the experience we have. I'm excited about the year," McBride said. "It puts a lot of pressure on them, but you just go out and play and do the best you can. I think everybody is excited about this year."Land, who transferred to Pace this year after starting for Tate the last three years, said, "We're going to surprise a lot of people, I think." Brooks added, "Our end goal, we talk about it all the time, is to win a state championship. That's our goal every day. On the field, in the weight room – it's our end goal."

Staying Local at Pensacola State

The trio of seniors had offers to play elsewhere, but they opted to stay close to home and play for a top-tier junior college program at Pensacola State. PSC had 11 players move on to the next level of college baseball just this past spring alone, 10 of which moved on to the Division I level."PSC was real honest with me, and they've put out prospects that have made it to the next level," Land said. "That's all I want to do." Brooks added, "I just love the coaching staff at PSC. But PSC felt right for me. It's close to me – I'm a big home guy – and it just felt right. It excites me to know they have a great program, and they have it going on."The Pirates went 32-17 on the year and made it to the FCSAA Division I Baseball Championship Wildcard Game, ultimately falling to Indian River State College in the FCSAA Division I Baseball Fort Pierce Regional in a best-of-three series in early May.Land had been a standout for the Aggies since his freshman year. Last year, as a junior, he posted a.293 batting average with 21 hits, including 10 doubles and two home runs, with 11 RBIs and nine stolen bases."He came right in and fit right in, because he's played travel ball with these guys. He works so hard in the weight room. He has fun playing the game of baseball," McBride said of his new transfer. "I'm so excited to have him here. I'm really excited about all of our team. I'm ready to get going. We've been in the weightroom all fall. We're ready to get going."Brooks was a First Team All-Area selection this past spring for the PNJ and was one of the Patriots' top hitters. Primarily playing center field, he posted a.340 batting average in 2024 with an on-base percentage of.480. He tacked on five doubles and five home runs, adding 20 RBIs in the process. He scored 34 runs and stole 16 bases.

Nash Pires and the Crimson Tide

Nash Pires originally committed to Alabama over the summer and made it officially official on Wednesday. During the 2024 season, he posted a.277 batting average and a.371 on-base percentage, tacking on 23 hits with five doubles and a home run. He batted in 17 runs, scoring 20 himself, with nine stolen bases.Pires also pitches but was battling a shoulder injury last season and only pitched a handful of innings."Nash, he's 6-foot-2, hovering around 180-190 pounds. He can run, has a big-time arm. I'm not sure where they want him. I think Alabama likes him as an athlete. I'm not sure he even knows. I think they're going to find out when he gets there," McBride said. "He really can do it all. He can run, hit and pitch. I'm excited to see where they put him and see where he fits in at that level. He is a great athlete.""It's a great opportunity. I can't wait to get up there and do my thing," Pires said. "The facilities are amazing. I think it's going to be a great time at Alabama."