Washington pitcher and infielder Cody Godley signed Wednesday morning to play baseball at Guilford College. He earned the privilege to play at the collegiate level not only because of his talent on the diamond, but also his hard work in the classroom.

Godley was awarded the Eugene H. Thompson Scholarship for his academic success. The opportunity to continue playing while working toward his goal of becoming a physical therapist is the direct result of years of hard work.

“It’s just constant work,” he said. “It’s definitely a hard field to break through, college sports. Anywhere you go, if you can get there, it’s definitely something to be proud of. I’m just glad I have the opportunity to do it.”

Frank Godley, his father, added, “I’m very proud. I’ve coached him since he was five years old playing T-ball. To see him at this point is probably the second proudest moment of my life.”

The academic aspect of this opportunity is something that Godley values. He’s always been taught that school comes before baseball.

“Cody has worked hard basically his entire life,” his mother Sandy Godley said. “He’s very competitive, whether it’s on the field or off the field. He takes pride in everything he does. I think he’s very deserving.”

The recruitment process started last year. While it was a bit of a late start, he quickly took a liking to the team, its coaches and the school itself.

“It started off when I went to a camp up there,” he said. “I had been in contact with the assistant coach before then. While we were there, I got to know all the coaches and the players. All the guys are real cool and the coaches are nice. I was in contact with the head coach after the camp. It all worked out and I like everything about the school.”

Part of what made Godley stand out is his versatility. He’s been an impressive pitcher for the Pam Pack. When he’s not on the mound, he also excels at the shortstop position. He can also hold his own at the plate.

“As long as he keeps putting in the work and works as hard as he’s been working, I think he’ll get as far as he wants to go,” coach Kevin Leggett said. “… (Guilford) is losing a guy this year that graduates. He pretty much does the same thing — he pitches, he plays shortstop, second. I think he’ll be a good slide into that spot after a year of growing up.”

Godley still has his senior campaign to look forward to. Washington lost just two players from last year’s squad that went 15-10 (5-5 2-A Eastern Plains). The Pam Pack returns its entire infield and pitching staff. The Feb. 28 season opener against Rose is rapidly approaching.

“Work hard as a team, go out there, get a couple of wins, and see what happens,” Godley said of his goals for 2017. “I’m very excited.”

Leggett added, “I’m ready for it to get here. The guys have all been working hard. They’re ready. This is kind of what we’ve been working towards for the last four years.”