Junior Will Proctor commits to University of Georgia

Delaney Whittet
Staff Writer

Playing baseball has been a part of junior Will Proctor’s life for as long as he can remember. His hard work recently paid off when he committed to University of Georgia (UGA) to play shortstop on their Division 1 baseball team.
As a freshman, Proctor was recruited by California schools such as Stanford, University of Southern California (USC), University of Santa Barbara (UCSB), Loyola Marymount University (LMU), California Polytechnic State University, and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
“My biggest priority in choosing a college was having a baseball program that I would fit in with,” Proctor said.
He then decided sophomore year that he wanted to play baseball outside of California for a new experience, resulting in his commitment to University of Georgia. It is in the Athens, a college town and one of the largest cities in Georgia.
“I love everything about the program and the coaches are really involved in developing players for the next level.” Proctor said. “I also really like the town and people of Athens who come out and support the baseball team.”
Proctor decided he wanted to play baseball in the Southern United States because he wants to experience a place not many Californians have attended. With the help of his coaches, he began getting recruited by Southern schools such as Wake Forest University, University of North Carolina, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Alabama, Duke University, and University of Georgia.
“There’s a different atmosphere at University of Georgia and a large fanbase that supports the baseball team,” Proctor said.
This summer, Proctor visited various schools on the East coast and Southern part of the United States. He decided between Duke University and University of North Carolina from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), or University of Georgia in the Southeastern conference (SEC). SEC teams are from the Southern United States and ACC teams are from the East Coast.
“Baseball in the south is a big deal and Proctor had lots of offers,” varsity head coach Cassidy Olson said. “I think playing in front of big crowds in one of the best conferences in the nation is what attracted him to Georgia.”
Proctor has played on Garciaparra Baseball Group (GBG) since he started high school. They are ranked the number four travel team in the country and recently won the Perfect Game Evoshield National Championship. GCB plays multiple games each Sunday and multiple seasons each year.
“Will is a great teammate and works extremely hard on and off the field in order to achieve his goals,” junior Trevor Franklin said.
Proctor also transferred from Loyola to Costa last year because he missed being around his friends from Manhattan Beach and the drive to school is shorter. He played varsity baseball as a sophomore and will continue to play on Varsity as a junior this year.
“Will is an extremely athletic and experienced baseball player and has all the important skills that Division 1 colleges are looking for,” coach Olson said.