Niceville's Collins commits to Alabama
By ADAM PRUIETT
Florida Freedom Newspapers
(850) 315-4484 | adam@nwfdailynews.com
NICEVILLE - Joe Nedoroscik was observing from the tower of the Niceville Softball Complex when he first laid eyes on Danny Collins, then an 11-year-old playing in a baseball tournament.
His first impression of Collins' skills?
"I said, ‘That guy can do it,' " recalled Nedoroscik, now an assistant coach at Niceville.
What Collins has continued to do on the baseball field since then is many things, all of which culminated in the Niceville senior verbally committing to play at the University of Alabama. He can officially sign with the SEC school in November.
Coming off an All-Area junior year where he was among Niceville's leaders in virtually every offensive category, Collins wanted to step into the batter's box this upcoming season with a clear head and field ground balls with a sound mind.
"I wanted to get (committing) out of the way and have college in the bag so I can play out my senior year with no worries," he said. "I feel I can go out there and play my game and not worry about getting a scholarship or not getting a scholarship."
Tulane, Ole Miss and some junior colleges were in the mix for Collins' services, but the Eagles' third baseman was won over by the Tide coaching staff's consistent interest and approach, and also the Alabama campus and its facilities.
"The campus is just one of a kind," Collins said.
In a year where Niceville advanced to the 5A state semifinals, Collins provided one of the team's biggest bats. He was second on the team in batting average (.420), homers (four) and slugging percentage (.630) while leading the team in on-base percentage (.504) and runs (40). He also smacked nine doubles and collected 27 RBIs.
Nedoroscik said he knew Collins would play at a high collegiate level "the first time I saw him."
"He just kept on getting better," Nedoroscik said. "He swings the bat and knows the game of baseball. He knows the situation, knows what he's got to do."
