It was an eventful week for Daviess County High School athletics, as Brodie Tucker, Brody Brubaker, and Aydan Ayer all signed letters to compete at the college level.
Since being promoted to varsity on the baseball team, Tucker and Brubaker have morphed into instrumental pieces and have the team in a prime position to compete for a 9th District Title. Tucker will be attending Campbellsville University to study sports management, while Brubaker committed to Kentucky Wesleyan College and plans to study business and psychology.
A workhorse in the team’s starting rotation, Tucker is 2-2 on the year, posting a 3.55 ERA, with 19 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings. Brubaker leads the Panthers in hits (25), stolen bases (16), and triples (3) and is tied for the team lead in doubles (7).
Kentucky Christian was the first school to reach out to Tucker last summer, but once he stepped on Campbellsville’s campus, he knew it was home.
“I took a visit not too long ago,” Tucker said. “I really enjoyed the campus, and I know some people there.”
The senior acknowledged that staying in state was always the plan, but also appreciates the two-and-a-half-hour distance from his hometown to campus.
With his future home locked down, Tucker admitted he can just lock in on playing ball.
“It is a lot of stress off,” Tucker said. “Last year I kind of focused on getting recruited a lot, and this year I can just play.”
For Brubaker, he heard from multiple Division II and III schools, as well as some from the Junior College level, but it was during his last visit to KWC that swayed his decision.
“The coaching staff, immediately when I got there, I just felt like they cared about me,” Brubaker said. “It just felt like home. It was the personal level. I felt like they were coaches that were actually going to take care of me – not just on the field, but off the field also.”
Brubaker comes from a long family line of baseball players and has always been a dream of his to play collegiately and beyond. After receiving his first offer after his junior summer, he realized his dream was in reach.
“I was playing travel ball at the Leathernecks out of Evansville, and we were playing some travel tournaments around the country,” Brubaker said. “It was the best summer of my life. Coach Reese and Coach Miller were the best coaches. They helped me develop that last part that I needed to become a college baseball player.”
Making the varsity basketball team as a freshman, Ayer developed into one of the team’s top three-point shooters and helped lead them to a 2025 Regional Championship and consequent appearance in the State Tournament.
Ayer heard from Spawling University and Brescia University throughout his recruitment process, but acknowledged that on his visit to Knox College, he quickly fell in love with the school.
“I decided on Knox because they seemed more interested in me compared to the other schools,” Ayer said. “They felt welcoming, and I am grateful that they want me as much as I do. I believe it is the best decision for me.”
With a few weeks left before graduation, Ayer wants to focus on his remaining classes before stepping back onto the court.
“I’m going to get back into it when summer hits and hit the weight room,” Ayer said. “The coach at Knox is going to send me a program and give me knowledge on what everything is called.”
