Phillies Urban Youth Academy honors 15 seniors who signed letters of intent to play in college
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Phillies played the New York Mets at Citi Field on Monday night, so Citizens Bank Park was mostly empty, with one exception.
The Phillies Urban Youth Academy honored high school seniors in their program as they signed letters of intent to play college baseball and softball.
In all, 15 high school seniors were honored for both their athletic achievements and their scholastic successes.
"I've had so many opportunities from clinics to meeting new college coaches and everything, and I've gotten into college based off the networks of the Phillies coaches," said Ameerah McMullen, who is committed to Clark Atlanta University.
"It's great for the community," said Michael Spina, who is heading to Rowan University. "You can go to the cages every night, and it just helps you get better as a baseball player."
Several parents said they believe the Phillies Urban Youth Academy played a big role.
"The coaches, the way they would interact with the kids was amazing," said Kim Righi-Spina, who is Michael Spina's mother.
Ameerah McMullen's father, Ronald, couldn't say enough about the program.
"We came to some of the Phillies games, they volunteered at some of the games, they did some community work," Ronald McMullen said.
Kato Magnum, who is heading to Wesleyan University, is looking forward to improving on and off the field in college.
"I can wait to not only improve my baseball skills and improve my academic skills, so I can use this college not only as a tool to get better at baseball but a tool to get better at life and find a place in the workforce."