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Suddenly a three-sport athlete, Vincent fitting in nicely among Nixa receivers

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As fine a prospect as Nixa has seen on the ball diamond in recent years, Eagles sophomore Wyatt Vincent can't remember the last day he went without some sort of hitting practice. 

He plans to keep that streak alive throughout his foray into football.

"I've been talking to some of our pitchers about meeting mid-week and hitting a little bit. I want to stay with it," Vincent said. 

Vincent and Noah Engelman, a senior, are also keeping alive a streak at Nixa in which coach John Perry has reeled in standouts from other sports to join the Eagles' receiving corps. 

Two years ago, Smith Wheeler and Jackson Bray played football as preps for the first time and last year Kael Combs and Jordyn Turner enjoyed instant success on the gridiron.

"He convinced me by telling me, 'You've got to play one time, you're in high school, you only get one chance,'" Vincent said. "He said if I didn't like it and I don't have fun, that I wouldn't have to come back. But he thought I would like it. I've never heard of anyone not having fun playing football. So, I was like, 'I'm in.'"

Vincent and Engelman will make their debuts Friday, as Nixa hosts Ozark and Kickapoo in jamboree action.

"Playing on our field on Friday, I'm looking forward to it," Vincent said. "It will be kind of like a warm welcoming."

Naturally, Vincent has and will continue to endure some growing pains. His first obstacle has been getting acquainted with NIxa's playbook.

"Memorizing the plays is kind of difficult," he said. "We're working all wide receiver spots, so outside, slot and single-side, it's a little difficult to get each route for each play down. But once I get it down, things will be a lot easier."

Vincent already realizes he's in an ideal scenario, what with all the weapons surrounding him at wide receiver.

"I feel like I'm working with the best of the best in the area. Kael, Noah, Rylan (Michel) and Austin (McCracken) and the guys behind them are solid," Vincent said. 'It's fun to work with guys who have been through it and done it before. They know they're good and we all know they're good. They're awesome. These are good guys to be around. 

"I was a little lost at the start," he added. "But they definitely helped me figure it out and get going."

In addition, Vincent has taken a quick liking to working with quarterback Connor Knatcal.

"He's accurate and can air it out for sure," Vincent said. "Running deep and catching his passes will be fun."

Vincent, who also plays basketball, doesn't expect he will be one-and-done on the gridiron.

"I like it a lot. I'll probably stick with it my last two years," he said. "There won't be a lot of time outside of school and outside of sports. But it will be a lot of fun and it will help me stay in shape."

Vincent also had an eye on his future upon announcing earlier this summer his verbal commitment to play baseball at Missouri State. It could be the earliest commitment the Bears have ever received from a prep.

MSU coaches have kept close tabs on him, with at least one Bears coach in attendance at every Nixa game during Vincent's freshman season this past spring. As the Eagles' center-fielder, Vincent batted .375 with five home runs and 24 RBIs and 24 stolen bases.

"I didn't want to wait. I didn't want to keep myself from making that decision. I've got the right school," Vincent said. "Everything felt good for me early, which was good for me, instead of having to worry about it through high school. I didn't need to wait. I don't need to wait when I can commit now."

Vincent had already received nine offers from colleges, with the first offer coming from Mizzou while he was still in the eighth grade.

In addition to MSU, Georgia Tech and West Virginia were high on his list.

More offers were sure to come and actually probably will still come over the next three years. Vincent relates he has had friends ask him whether he should have waited for more higher-profile programs to show interest in him. 

"I get that a lot. I've had a lot of people ask me, 'Why did you (commit) so early and not wait?'" he said. "I was like, 'I don't want to be in the position where I'm trying to find a school late. I found the school I want to go to.'"

Of course, there will be the possibility Vincent will never play at MSU, should he be chosen in the MLB First-Year Player Draft in 2025.

"That would be awesome, that would be the dream right there," he said.  Vincent will attend a Boston Red Sox invite-only prospects camp in September.

Vincent values a conversation he had at the Marucci Clubhouse in Ozark last winter with Kickapoo grad and current Tampa Bay Ray farmhand Mason Auer about chasing the MLB dream.

"It was cool to hear him talk," Vincent said of Auer, who is hitting .293 with nine triples and four home runs at Single-A Charleston (South Carolina). "He was saying, 'Trust the process and know that when you stop working, things will stop coming.' That stuck with me.”


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