UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 10, Page 6
November 3, 1994
Courtney Batts' baseball career waiting on Wing-T

     When Courtney Batts says, "I play football because I love the
game, but I play baseball because I have the ability," it makes you
wonder what he's like on a baseball diamond, since this sophomore's
first season playing college football has been extraordinary.
     To Delaware fans, Batts is both focused and fast. (Last winter he
was clocked doing the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds.)
     The 6-foot, 172-lb. receiver from Philadelphia now leads the Blue
Hens in yards gained per reception. He has caught 20 passes for a
total of 496 yards or 24.8 yards per reception. No one in Blue Hen
history has done that well except Tom Harrison in 1963 with 27.2 yards
per reception. Between receiving passes and rushing, Batts has carried
the ball 25 times, seven of those for touchdowns. Translation: For
roughly every three times he carried the ball, he made one touchdown.
     In the West Chester game, the third game of his college career,
Batts caught the ball six times, four of them for touchdowns, was
named Yankee Conference Rookie of the Week and broke a UD single game
record.
     When he was a senior at the Penn Charter school in Philadelphia,
Batts was offered full football scholarships by the University of
Wisconsin, Rutgers, Temple and Villanova universities and, after he
had committed to UD, Penn State University.
     Why didn't he choose a Division I-A school?
     "I was never hung up on that excitement. When you're being
recruited, you have to ask yourself: When will I get to play for this
team? In Division I-A it might be in my junior or senior year but, in
Division I-AA, I could play from my freshman year," Batts said.
     Batts said he wants to play as much football as he can before he
goes out into the "real world," so he chose a Division I-AA
university. He says he came to Delaware because it's close to home, he
was offered an excellent scholarship, he liked the coaching staff and
team and he thinks it's a good school. "I'd like to get my degree from
here, it has a great education college," he said.
     Batts, who is majoring in education with a minor in mathematics
education, is involved in the college's ASPIRE program, for which he
has high praise. He said some day he'd like to teach math in the
seventh or eighth grade, but he may be delaying his teaching career
for a stint in the major leagues-baseball that is.
     Batts was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1993 and the New
York Mets this summer, but he's been scouted by and invited to meet
with the Mariners, Tigers, Reds and Brewers.
     The second baseman batted 340 in high school and attracted the
attention of the Mets, who first noticed
     Batts when the New York scout was working for the Mariners.
     The way Batts tells it: "The scout was watching during pre-game
when my coach hit a line drive to first base. I ran and got it but
then I immediately heard a crack. Coach had hit another ball up the
middle. I ran and dove and caught it. The scout was impressed."
     So impressed, that when he went to work for the Mets, and Batts
turned up at Shea Stadium to play with a summer league, the Mets
drafted him. Batts turned them down because he said the signing bonus
was too low.
     After this football season, Batts will try out for the Hens
baseball team. Which means he won't be able to be drafted again until
the summer of 1996.
                                                     -Barbara Garrison