Niceville alums Collins, Darhower sign with MLB teams

NICEVILLE – Along the façade of a building that runs adjacent to the pass gate of Niceville Baseball Stadium and parallel to the third-base line fence are 10 names emblemized into Eagle folklore.

From the raw, inexperienced high schoolers going late in the MLB Draft to the polished college prospects selected in the opening rounds, the names serve as a reminder that hard work pays off and dreams can come true.

This past Friday the list expanded to 2009 graduate and 13^th-round selection Danny Collins and 2011 graduate and 14^th-round pick Chase Darhower.

And the duo wasted little time in accepting that professional athlete moniker.

Darhower, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher, signed with Kansas City at his home on Monday, jumped on a plane bound for the Royals Rookie League in Arizona on Tuesday, and by Wednesday morning was getting his physical and showing off his fresh new Rawlings leather on Twitter.

As for Collins, a 6-2 right-fielder who earned All-American at both Northwest Florida State and Troy, the 22-year-old flew into Sarasota, Fla. on Wednesday to get his physical and sign on the dotted line with the Pittsburgh Pirates. From there he was bound for Jamestown, N.Y., where the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Pirates is stationed.

“My body was about on E after getting done with the regional,” said Collins, whose Trojans were bounced by Florida in regional play two weeks ago. “But as soon as my name was called I felt refueled. I’m exited.”

Collins heads to the up-and-coming, NL-Central organization a polished product.

After redshirting at Alabama his freshman year, Collins hit .419 in 2011 with 11 home runs and was named a second-team All-American after earning Panhandle Conference Player of the Year. He parlayed the stellar freshman campaign into a scholarship to Troy, where it took just two years to earn All-American honors. As a junior, Collins led the team with 29 extra-base hits, 149 total bases, a .631 slugging percentage, a 1.083 OPS (On-base plus slugging) and 11 hit by pitches. He was second on the team with 11 home runs, a .360 batting average, 68 RBIs (only five RBIs shy of tying Tom King's Troy single-season record of 73 set in 2006), 85 hits, a .452 on-base percentage and a .992 fielding percentage.

Armed with the experience and a selective eye that had scouts praising his advanced tools, Collins expects to make an impact right away and move through the system quickly.

“I’m thrilled that they’re going to give me an opportunity to grow quicker,” Collins said. “At 22 my game is mature and hopefully I can get into the system, prove myself and advance quickly.”

In contrast, Darhower didn’t experience any national – let alone local – recognition during his collegiate career.

The 20-year-old played only seven games at shortstop as a freshman at Central Florida and then he transitioned to pitcher at NWF State, where he appeared in only five games. But his projectability as a starter caught the attention of the Royals.

The signings of Darhower and Collins coincided with another former Raider, Trae Santos, signing with the Padres.

The left-handed first baseman slugged a team-best 18 home runs and 70 RBIs as a junior at Troy. During his two years in Niceville, the 6-1, 235-pound 20-year-old slugged 11 homers, drove in 70 RBIs and earned all-conference at both first base (second team) and as a designated hitter (first team).

The other two drafted Raider alums, ninth-round Yankees selection and Auburn southpaw Conner Kendrick and Cubs 33^rd-round pick and NWF State center fielder Chris Madera, have yet to make their decisions.

Either way, Raiders skipper Doug Martin sees the notoriety as a plus for his juco program.

“We’re certainly proud of them and wish them all the success in the world,” Martin said. “We’ll certainly use this as a recruiting tool for the next group of players that come in.”