Midview's Eric Lauer has verbally committed to accept a baseball scholarship to the University of Kentucky, a NCAA Division I school in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

“I picked Kentucky because it is close to home and because they are members of the SEC, one of the best baseball conferences in the country,” Lauer said through a press release.  “I liked everything about it, including the fact it is a strong academic school.  It is a weight off my shoulders.”

Lauer, who is 5-1 on the season, has struck out 93 batters in 44 1/3  innings pitched. The lefthander has started for the Middies since his freshman year and is 9-3 overall with 161 career strikeouts. 

“Eric has worked incredibly hard to get to this point and is very deserving of such an honor,” Midview Head Baseball Coach John Justice said. “He has been a major part of our team’s success since his freshman season, including this year’s conference championship. I know that I am extremely proud of Eric and so are the rest of his coaches, teammates and his family. I look forward to seeing Eric in Middie Blue in 2013 and Wildcat Blue in 2014.”

Lauer, who has a accumulative GPA of 3.75 and is ranked 33 out of 283 in his class at Midview, chose Kentucky, who is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation (as high as #1 during the 2012 season), over Georgia Tech, Kent State, Louisville, and Ohio State.

swalker@MorningJournal.com