WASHINGTON — The hard work Logan Everette put in on the baseball diamond and off of it over the years to achieve his dream of playing Division I college baseball finally came to fruition today, as the Pam Pack pitcher officially signed to attend and play ball at Campbell University.

“It feels good, because I’ve worked almost my whole life for this,” said Everette, who has dreamt of playing Division I college baseball since he was four years old. “After school, I’d throw like two or three days out of the week, and then every day working out.”

As a kid who was short and skinny as a freshman, it was his passion for the game and the constant hard work to improve that has given Everette the opportunity to play college baseball; that, along with a growth spurt that pushed the lanky lefthander to almost 6-foot-3, according to his mother Amy Woolard.

“He eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. He might take a month off in the year, but that’s it. He works hard,” Woolard said. “Sometimes he was playing for two or three teams at a time. We’d leave one game and go to another.”

Washington head coach Kevin Leggett, who saw Everette throw a no-hitter in his first varsity start against Northside on March 9, is in agreement that Everette’s drive to improve is what earned him the opportunity to play college ball. The Pam Pack coach said Everette put in the work with an assortment of coaches to improve his pitching.

“I think work ethic was a big part,” Leggett said. “You know, when he came in as a freshman he was a really small kid, skinny. But he’s worked hard; he’s worked on his arm strength a lot, worked with different coaches and things on building that up. This was his dream and he’s worked to achieve it, so I’m very happy for him.”

Everette’s baseball journey has seen him play for a variety of teams, starting with rec ball in the local league, travel baseball, American Legion ball with players from around Beaufort County, showcase baseball in front of college recruiters and, of course, with the Washington Pam Pack.

It was as a freshman playing legion ball that Everette was first noticed by a scout from National Scouting Report, who told the pitcher he had a chance to play baseball at the collegiate level. Everette said being noticed by the scout served to validate his dream and encouraged him that he could play Division I ball.

While Everette just officially signed to play for the Camels, the senior committed to the private university based in Buies Creek after his sophomore year. But as time passed, Woolard said Everette received calls from other colleges interested in recruiting him. Out of both principle and the desire to go to Campbell, Everette and his family informed those callers that Everette was committed to being a Camel.

“You’re not legally bound when you commit, but I don’t think it’s good to decommit,” Woolard said. “We’ve been really happy with Campbell. They’ve got a great program; good coaches, good academics.”

Everette’s decision to attend Campbell isn’t just based on the Camels’ success on the diamond. While Campbell has reached the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament twice recently (2014 and 2018), Everette, who wants to study pre-med and biology and become an anesthesiologist, is also drawn to Campbell due to what it offers in the classroom.

“It wasn’t like all the other schools,” Everette said. “They’re good, even though they’re small. I didn’t want to go to a really big school with a bunch of people. And they have the academics and stuff that I want there too.”

While Everette personally had a strong season in 2018, finishing with a 5-2 record, recording 63 strikeouts in only 42 innings, sporting a 1.83 ERA and holding opposing batters to a paltry .133 batting average, the Pam Pack’s season ended in disappointing fashion. After opening the year with a 10-2 record, Washington ended the season losing five of its last seven games to miss out on the playoffs.

Entering his final season playing for Washington, Everette has a simple goal before heading off to the college ranks: “Just make it to the playoffs and hope to win.”