It was all smiles recently on the Southwest campus as five members of the Bear Baseball Team put the pen to the paper and signed with four-year programs.

Darius Dampier is headed to Jackson to play for Jackson State, Dawson Richard is also signing with a Division I school as he heads home to the State of Louisiana at Nicholls State, Brodey Walker moves on to West Alabama and both Trace Roy and Jake Meilstrup will suit up for Blue Mountain.

For Dampier, a native of Mendenhall, the move to play for the Tigers was one that he couldn't pass up on as some members of his family are alums of JSU.

"Jackson State is really close to home and a lot of family went there," he said. "To be able to play there and have a lot of family come to the games, it is big."

Dampier adds that the Tigers began showing interest in him late last year.

"Towards the end of the fall, I started talking to them," he said. "Once they offered me, I committed on the spot because I knew that was the spot for me."

Dampier saw plenty of time on the mound last season for the Bears, appearing in 13 contests with nine starts. He finished with a 3.55 ERA with 32 strikeouts while giving up 23 earned runs and 25 walks.

Like Dampier, Richard is another pitcher that will also head to a D-I school that isn't far from home. The Berwick, LA-native will play next year at Nicholls State which is about a half-hours drive away.

Richard admitted that he committed to the Colonels early on as he had his sights set on playing closer to home.

"They were my only one (offer) at the time," he said. "I remember at the sophomore showcase, my coach asked 'would Nicholls be something that you would like?' and I said 'heck yeah, it is only 30 minutes from my house and my friends go there.' Later that night, I got a text from them and we made it happen."

Richard shined during his time with the Bears. After mostly catching during his freshman season, he made the switch full-time to pitching in 2025. He led the team in: starts (15), pitches (1400), wins (7) and strikeouts (93).

Richard adds that he will continue to pitch when he gets to Thibodaux. He said that moving to the mound full-time has been very beneficial for him.

"Just being a pitcher this year, it was a really big step forward for me as a person and a ball player," he  said. "I just had to focus on one thing and my body wasn't tired from everything else. I just had to focus on pitching."

Another pitcher that stood out for the Bears during the 2025 campaign was Walker. Like Dampier, he was a left-handed option for head coach Jack Edmonson. Walker transferred into Southwest from Delta State and after a stellar year, he heads back to a D-II program in the Gulf South Conference.

Walker said that UWA came into the picture following a couple of fall dates that he played in which took place on its campus in Livingston, Alabama.

"This fall, we played at West Alabama and I talked to them a little bit," Walker said. "After a couple of outings this spring, we got things into motion a little bit and it went from there."

Walker said that even though it was only for one year, he looks at his time in Summit as very helpful.

"This year was probably the most important year of my life," he said. "I got more mentally tough and physically tough and I believe it was very impactful on me."

Walker started nine of the 11 games he appeared in giving up only 23 earned runs while striking out 26.

Catching for the majority of the pitches from Walker, Dampier and Richard was Roy who logged plenty of time behind the plate for the Bears.

Roy appeared in 54 contests, hitting .296 with one home run, one triple, six doubles, 22 runs scored and 26 RBIs.

He said that the Topper first reached out to him around Christmas of 2024 and it didn't take long into the 2025 season for him to make his decision.

"It was early in the year and I think that we only have played four or five games and they brought me on a visit, and I really enjoyed it," he said. "They gave me a good offer and I think that it was a place that I can succeed. After a couple of weeks of talking
with my family I decided it was best for me."

Roy admits that one factor that helped in his decision to sign with Blue Mountain was familiarity with teammates including Meilstrup who walso signed with the Toppers.

"Having some people around me that I know definitely makes it a little easier and comfortable, just people that enjoy playing with," he said.

Looking back on his time at Southwest, Roy admits that it is something that he cherishes.

"It has meant everything," he said. "This was my only offer out of high school."

For Meilstrup, the feeling of continuing his playing career with a familiar face was mutual adding that Roy was a big reason why he signed with the Toppers.

"The main reason I signed with Blue Mountain was because Roy convinced me," he said. "He said that it was a great campus and a great place to be. I wanted to be with him for two more years."

Meilstrup, the Southwest stolen bases leader, said that when Blue Mountain heard of his record-breaking run in 2025, the coaching staff told him to follow that up by breaking the record at Blue Mountain as well.

Meilstrup was a staple in center field last season for the Bears and led the team in batting average (.343), home runs (4) and stolen bases (56) and was tied for the lead in RBIs with 30.

Coach Edmonson said that all five of his kids who signed will get a strong chance to continue to shine on the next level.

"I'm glad that they gave us the chance to be a part of their story," he said. "All five of these guys worked hard, are good kids and are going to programs where they will get the chance to play and get the chance to win at."