The defending 4A-II Pitcher of the Year announced on Monday that he is college-bound.
Iola senior shortstop and ace pitcher Derek Bycroft signed his national letter of intent to play baseball at Oklahoma Wesleyan, an NAIA school in Bartlesville, Okla., next spring.
The senior was named first team all-state by multiple publications and organizations after being a main cog in the Mustangs run to their first state title last season.
I really like the environment out there, Bycroft said. Its a nice school and its a private school. The facilities were really nice and theyre a winning program in the NAIA. They had offered in the fall and it was still on the table, so I took it.
Bycroft earned the honor of 4A-II Pitcher of the Year last season from Sports and Kansas and the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches.
He was also named first team all-state by those publications in addition to the Wichita Eagle and the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Bycroft was 8-0 last season with a 0.73 ERA. He rolled out 63 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched.
He hit with a .393 average and totaled 33 hits and 29 RBIs in 2018. He comitted just seven errors all season out of 80 for a .912 fielding percentage.
So far this season, Bycroft has 0.54 ERA in 26 innings. Hes allowed 11 hits and had 35 strikeouts. Hes thrown nearly two no-hitters so far this season.
Hes recorded 16 hits along with 12 RBIs and hes hitting with a .471 average.
With that kind of resume (not including the exemplary work that hes done over the summer playing Legion ball with the Iola Indians) youd think that college suitors would be knocking down his door, but come fall, Bycrofts only offer was from Oklahoma Wesleyan.
Then after he committed to Wesleyan, other schools came calling to see what they had missed.
Too late, he said.
Once I committed, multiple schools started asking about me, Bycroft said. It seemed like every day that next week I had a different school asking about me or asking for my phone number but by that time I was already locked in on going to Oklahoma Wesleyan.
Thats not to say the pledge to play for the Eagles was half-hearted in any way. Oklahoma Wesleyan is a perennial top 25 program thats currently ranked 12th with a 32-9 record. Eagles coaches also are so impressed with Bycroft that they say they want him to do more than just pitch.
I really liked (head coach Kirk Kelley), Bycroft said. He still likes two-way players. So if I field one game, I can still go pitch the next and thats important.
