AURORA, Mo. — A trio of seniors: Emily Parker, Zach Shoemaker, and Morgan Montgomery, signed letters of intent for three different sports at Aurora.
Parker, battling back from a torn ACL last season, inked her letter of intent to play basketball at Drury. In 14 games, she averaged over 22 points and 5.8 rebounds per night.
She expressed interest In Arkansas and Missouri State, but was sold on Drury’s recent postseason appearances, including an overtime possession away from reaching the Elite Eight last season. Her signing comes three days after the Lady Panthers captured their first-ever win over a Division I opponent in an exhibition at Illinois.
“They do short game films and it gave me goosebumps,” Park said. “Freshmen are stepping up and being big contributors. That excites me as a freshman going in next year that I could play a big part.
Shoemaker fueled Aurora’s playoff push to the Class 4 baseball semifinals in 2015, which included pitching a sectional win over Carl Junction at Missouri Southern. That start put Shoemaker in front of the Lions coaching staff for the first time and the interest came quickly.
“They were on top of it. They called me, invited me for a visit, made an offer, and I accepted within three months,” he said. “It was actually my favorite mound I had ever pitched off, not to mention all the people that were there. It was electric.”
He wrapped up a First Team All-State campaign with a .568 ERA and 9-2 record and expects to push for those honors again as a senior.
Dual-sport standout Morgan Montgomery will play softball at Crowder College after notching a First Team All-Big 8 selection as a junior. She also made All-State for the track t
