Military education and possibly baseball await Ozark grad Buvid at The Citadel

Having handled well the transition of making a move while in high school, recent Ozark grad Cooper Buvid’s next tough task will be to gain a military education at The Citadel.

He will report to the storied Charleston, South Carolina, campus next month.

“It's going to be hard, it's going to be a challenge every day,” Buvid said. “I will live a military life there, plus school. Something we’ve worked on at Ozark is embrace the challenge. I wanted a challenge to make me the best I can be.

“The Citadel was the only school I considered,” he added.

Buvid moved to Ozark from Mississippi, prior to his sophomore year. Over the past three years, he was a starter for the Tigers at linebacker on the gridiron and at catcher on the ball diamond.

He earned All-COC recognition in both sports.

Buvid is hoping to continue his baseball career at The Citadel as a walk-on.

“That would be awesome, I love playing the game,” he said. “I'm going to wait until I get there and show up and try to be on the team.”

Ozark coach Justin Sundlie is excited for the opportunity that awaits Buvid.

“It will be a little bit of a culture shock for him, but he’ll do well,” Sundlie said. “He’ll come out of there. It shows what type of kid he is. He's willing to take a risk, go somewhere by himself and pursue something.”

Military service following graduation from The Citadel is not a requirement. Buvid’s plan is to follow up college with a stint in the military.

“I plan on signing a contract and going in,” he said.