Three Springbrook athletes sign letters

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006

The Springbrook High athletic community took advantage of the early college signing period as three student-athletes either signed or committed to play their chosen sport at the next level starting next fall.

Lauren Kessler will head north to Rhode Island to play field hockey at Brown University. Nick Oates, a wide receiver⁄defensive back in football, will stay nearby and continue his gridiron career at Towson University, while left-handed pitcher Keith Hessler is headed south to play baseball for Coastal Carolina (S.C.).

Kessler was one of the county’s best goalkeeper this past winter, despite missing six games with a bout of mononucleosis. She limited Quince Orchard, the reigning Class 4A state champions, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase, a 3A state finalist, to a goal apiece, while collecting a combined 53 saves to lead the Blue Devils (10-4) to their first win over the Barons.

As a field player as a junior, Kessler guided Springbrook the 4A state final by scoring 17 goals with five assists. She was a first-team All-Gazette selection that season.

‘‘She is extremely athletic and our best all-around athlete,” said Springbrook coach Kearney Francis of Kessler, an honorable-mention All-Gazette performer this past fall. ‘‘I think she is one of the best goalies in the area.”

Oates, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound speedster, chose Towson, which will use him at wide receiver, over James Madison (Va.) and a handful of other Division I-AA suitors. He produced well over 400 receiving yards to help lead the Blue Devils to a 7-3 record as they just missed the regional playoffs.

‘‘He visited Towson and he really liked it,” Springbrook football coach Rob Wendel said. ‘‘He verbally committed. I think he’s going to be a very good player. He improved every year and he’s a great kid.

‘‘He’s the first one on the practice field every day and he gave great effort in practice every day and in the games. He’s a hustler and very coachable. He’s going to be successful.”

Hessler firmed up his verbal commitment to Coastal Carolina last July by signing with the Division I school early last month. At Springbrook, Hessler compiled a 10-5 record with 174 strikeouts the past two years, including a 5-4 mark with a 2.42 earned run average and 78 strikeouts this past spring.

Last summer, Hessler played in the prestigious Sunbelt Classic in Norman, Okla., in June. While there, he recorded a save in the team’s tournament-opening 5-2 win over host Oklahoma and then picked one of Maryland’s four wins in a 9-8 victory against Georgia.

Team Maryland (4-4) finished in fourth place overall, just missing a chance to play for the tournament championship.