Wetumpka junior Davis Wells has always wanted to go the junior college route, so when Southern Union State Community College coach Aaron Everett called, Wells knew where he wanted to go.
Wells, a catcher and outfielder, committed to play baseball at SUSCC on Oct. 30.
Everett called Wells early in October, and the two scheduled a visit. Wells visited SUSCC two weeks later, and he fell in love with the facilities. Not even a week after that, Wells called Everett back and told him he was committing to his program.
“Coach Everett invited me down there, and I knew I wanted to take the juco route pretty early for my development and to keep playing ball,” Wells said. “I wanted to get better on the field and I thought going there would give me the best opportunity to do that. When I saw campus, I was kind of mind blown. I didn’t expect a junior college to have those kind of facilities.”
Wells plays both catcher and outfield for Wetumpka high school and his summer league team, but SUSCC is recruiting him strictly as a catcher right now.
Behind the dish, Wells excels at throwing baserunners out. He has a 1.85 to 1.95-second pop time to second base, he said. At the plate, he’s found success at Wetumpka and hit .300 last season with 15 hits, three doubles and 12 RBIs.
He was originally a switch hitter but has recently changed to only hit from the left side. He wants to focus on seeing the ball lefty to lefty, and fully focus on one swing instead of trying to perfect two.
“Behind the plate, I have a really good arm and I’m confident in my arm,” Wells said. “Throwing out guys is probably my best attribute as a player. I hit from the left side. I used to switch hit, but I decided to just stick to the left side and I just try to hit line drives over the shortstop’s head. I push the ball that way and good things happen.”
Wells has now joined the list of current Wetumpka baseball players who are either currently committed or signed to play with coach Everett at SUSCC. Senior infielder Noah Jones, pitcher Dawson Fuller and utility player Douglas Johnson all recently signed to play at SUSCC.
Wells has played with Johnson and Jones nearly all his life, so continuing to play with his current teammates played a big part in his commitment.
“That was one of the factors that played into my decision to go there,” Wells said. “It’s good to play with those guys and I’m looking forward to continuing to play with them. I’ve actually been playing with Noah and Dawson since I was probably 10 years old, so it will be good to continue playing with them. That was definitely a factor in my decision.”
Wells considers himself to be a competitive guy and just wants to win, and that’s shown as Wetumpka has found success over the last few seasons. That also shows in the school he has chosen, as SUSCC has seen steady improvement over the last three years.
After going 20-30 in the 2019 season, the Bison finished the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season with a 12-10 record.
But in 2021, they took the next step and finished the year with a 32-21 overall record with an 18-14 conference record. That paced the Bison to a fourth-place finish in the North Division Standings, and they continued that success in the postseason.
In the conference tournament, SUSCC reached the semifinals before falling to Chattahoochee Valley CC and eventual champion Shelton State CC.
That success helped lead to Wells’ decision, and he thinks he can help continue those winning ways.
“I’m there to win and I’m really competitive. I just think that I can help my team win, no matter where I’m at in the field or lineup. I’m a team first guy. Winning his huge. I’m really into being a competitive guy on the team. It’s a big deal to me to win. One of the things I hate most in the world is losing, and I just think I can help bring some wins to Southern Union.”
