Burbank, IL (November 16, 2010) - Last Wednesday two Reavis athletes, Rob Rabakozi and Caitlyn Balandis, signed their National Collegiate Letter of Intent. Rabakozi has committed to Valparaiso University, where he will be playing baseball and Balandis will be playing softball for the University of St. Francis. Both athletes received full scholarships to their respective schools.
Rabakozi, who is considering majoring in sports management, is excited about the chance to play NCAA Division I baseball. "I get the opportunity to play at the next level," the senior catcher said, "and I hope to get better playing against great competition." When he visited the campus last spring, Rob knew Valparaiso was the place he wanted to go. "They have state-of-the-art baseball facilities and the entire baseball coaching staff was cool."
The Valparaiso head coach, Tracy Woodson, had this to say about Rabakozi: “When we started recruiting for this class a year ago, our number one priority was finding the best catcher that fit with our program. Rob was our first commit and we honestly believe we got one of the best catchers in the Midwest. He has a strong arm, a projectable pro-type body, and he is also very athletic. We believe that once his hitting catches up with his work behind the plate, he will be a force in the lineup."
Balandis, who was recently awarded third-team All-State honors for last year's performance on the softball diamond, is glad she is continuing her playing career after high school. "One of my goals when I came to Reavis freshman year was to earn a softball scholarship," she said, "and I am glad that I attained it. Caitlyn's mom Alice is also happy about her daughter's decision to sign at St. Francis. "The school is far enough away for Caitlyn to live there and have the college experience, but close enough to home where I will be able to come see her play." Caitlyn plans to pursue a career in nursing while at St. Francis.