Three Harris County students sign athletic scholarships

For Harris County senior Jessika Carter, Wednesday’s signing ceremony was nothing but a formality.

There was little shock involved with Carter, who signed her National Letter of Intent to play at Mississippi State. Carter shared the spotlight with Harris County softball players Morgan Charter and Sydney Shackelford, who signed with Anderson University and Middle Georgia State, respectively.

The 6-foot-5 Carter, who is a five-star prospect according to ESPN, committed to the Lady Bulldogs in September. When discussing her commitment Wednesday, Carter said her visit to Starkville ultimately led to her decision.

“It’s all about family to me,” Carter said. “When I first met them, I knew that’s where I wanted to be. It was like God wanted me to be there.”

Carter described the process of being recruited as a hard one. She said at first it was exciting to receive phone calls from various colleges, but it got to be too much once she tried to balance it with schoolwork and basketball. She briefly shut her recruitment down before she re-opened it and chose Mississippi State.

As fellow Harris County students began filing into the school’s auditorium, Carter admitted she was a little uneasy but grinned when she explained it was because of the attention, not her decision.

“I’m scared and I’m nervous, but I’m happy and excited because I know this is where I want to be,” Carter said.

Carter wasn’t the only person who had butterflies in her stomach.

Charter said the stage and attention was a bit too much for her liking. Charter played third base for the Lady Tigers, posting a .383 batting average in her senior year while hitting one home run and driving in 16 runs.

She was an important part of a Harris County team that reached the second round of the Class 5A playoffs. The final loss still stings, but Wednesday’s opportunity made it a bit easier.

“We played our last game recently, and it was devastating,” Charter said. “To know I have four more years (to play softball) is amazing.”

Charter mentioned how much it meant to sign at the same time as Shackelford, who was the Region 1-5A Pitcher of the Year. Shackelford ended her senior season with an 8-3 record, a 1.74 ERA and 56 strikeouts.

Shackelford has also known Carter since elementary school, which made sharing the moment with her even sweeter.

Harris County athletic director Danny Durham mentioned how much dedication it took for all three athletes to reach this point, something Shackelford could certainly relate to.

“It’s fun,” Shackelford said of signing alongside Carter and Charter. “In the end, I think it was worth it.”

This story was originally published November 8, 2017 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Three Harris County students sign athletic scholarships."