BROOKSVILLE — For Kaine Ellis, a world of possibilities lay before him, yet one choice stood out clearly. The University of Richmond emerged as the ideal destination on multiple fronts. This is why the Hernando High junior catcher has verbally committed to a scholarship to play baseball for the Spiders. As Ellis himself said, "I already knew they have great academics and a strong baseball program. But when I went up there for my visit, I fell in love with the campus and the entire atmosphere. It just felt right." He made this visit on Nov. 23 and everything aligned perfectly.

Richmond's Academic and Athletic Balance

East Carolina University, Jacksonville University, and Florida Gulf Coast University were among the many other schools vying for Ellis' attention. He has been a starter for the Leopards since his freshman season. However, in the end, it was Richmond's harmonious blend of academics and athletics that sealed the deal. Ellis, who is carrying a remarkable 4.3 weighted grade-point average at Hernando, expressed his desire to major in Business. And Richmond boasts one of the top Business programs in the country.The Richmond baseball program also held significant allure for Ellis. The Spiders compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference, which takes pride in its strong combination of academics and athletics. This conference includes prestigious schools like Virginia Commonwealth, Fordham, the University of Massachusetts, George Washington, Dayton, and Saint Louis. Last season, the Spiders reached the conference championship game but fell to VCU in their first year under coach Mik Aoki. Aoki, who has over 500 college wins to his name, was a major factor in Ellis' decision.Before coming to Richmond, Aoki coached at Morehead State. But it was his previous stop at Notre Dame that caught Ellis' attention the most. From 2010 to 2019, Aoki was the head coach at Notre Dame and played a crucial role in making the Fighting Irish highly competitive as they made the transition from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference. In 2015, he led Notre Dame to its first NCAA Tournament since 2006. Ellis believes that Aoki is the kind of coach who can help him achieve his ultimate goal of playing in the major leagues.Aoki has also served as the head coach at Columbia and as an assistant head coach at Boston College. In total, more than 55 players coached by Aoki have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, and 15 of his pupils have made it to the big leagues. Ellis is confident that he can fit in well at Richmond. "They told me I'll have a chance to play right away. When I was on my visit, I really felt comfortable with the coaches and the players. They were in their fall program and I could sense the highly competitive atmosphere. I loved that because I'm very competitive myself."

Ellis' High School Baseball Journey

As a third-generation Leopard, Ellis entered the Hernando program with sky-high expectations. Even before his first varsity game, Hernando coach Tim Sims predicted that his catcher would be a special player. And Ellis has not disappointed. In his freshman year, he batted.426 and helped the Leopards reach the regional semifinals. As a sophomore, he hit.400 as the Leopards advanced to the regional finals. He already has an impressive 53 career runs batted in.Standing at 5-foot-10 and weighing 180 pounds, Ellis has been hitting the weight room hard this offseason. He aims to add more power to his smooth left-handed swing. With the added size and strength, Ellis is confident that his final two seasons at Hernando will be even more outstanding than the first two."I have a lot of goals in mind," Ellis said. "I know the history of Hernando baseball and I want to set some records and be a part of the Hernando legacy. My sister (Savannah, a Hernando softball player who graduated in 2023) had 100 career hits and 100 career RBIs. I'd like to achieve that too. And I'd like to set some other records. But above all, I want to win a state championship. That would be an incredibly special legacy."