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Wegenhoft continues to play ball
By Jacob Truchard, Sports Writer
A former Columbus High School graduate has earned the opportunity to continue his baseball career at the university level.
Tray Wegenhoft, a 2006 CHS graduate and former member of the Columbus Cardinals’ varsity baseball team, has committed to play for Howard Payne University in Brownwood during the 2009 season. The university is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and competes in the American Southwest Conference.
“It gives me a great opportunity to keep on playing baseball,” Wegenhoft said. “It is also a good school academically.”
Wegenhoft has been a member of the baseball team at Mountain View College, located in Dallas for the past two years.
Due to not playing as a pitcher during his senior year at CHS, he did not receive offers to play baseball at the college level.
“I decided to attend several tryout camps in the summer of 2006,” Wegenhoft said.
He received numerous offers, but chose Mountain View because he was impressed with the facility and believed it would be the best option to receive plenty of playing time.
He pitched as a starter and reliever in 26 games during his time at the college. Wegenhoft was also the opening-day starter and team captain for Mountain View during the 2008 season.
Not only did Tray excel on the field, but also in the classroom. In May 2008, he was named Distinguished Academic All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association.
He graduated with an Associate of Science Degree, earning 65 credit hours with an overall grade point average of 3.95.
Wegenhoft was also a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, was selected to the president’s academic list on four occasions and received the Star Award for baseball and Metro Athletic Conference Chancellor’s Award in 2007. He also was one of the 10 nominees for Mountain View College’s Student of the Year Award.
“Academically, it is one of the better schools in the Dallas County Community College District,” Wegenhoft said. “It was great community college to attend and play baseball.”
Trey said playing at the community college level has improved knowledge and experience of the game.
“If I didn’t play at a junior college, I probably wouldn’t be playing baseball now,” Wegenhoft said.
After being recruited by seven schools, Trey chose Howard Payne University because of the opportunity to be in starting pitching rotation and also because of the school’s Christian environment and reputation of academic excellence.
“My choices came down to Howard Payne and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi,” Weg-enhoft said. “I liked both schools but I liked the academic and overall atmosphere better at Howard Payne.”
He will also be under the tutelage of Coach Stephen Lynn and pitching coach Jerry Don Gleaton, a former University of Texas All-American left hander with 14 years of experience in the baseball major leagues.
“It is great that their pitching coach has had experience in the major leagues,” Wegenhoft said. “It will help me out in my pitching.”
Trey attended St. Anthony School in Columbus before transferring to CHS.
During his senior year he was a member of the regional semifinalist Cardinal baseball team.
Tray is the son of Joe and Tracey Wegenhoft of Colu-mbus.
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