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IZZY GOULDRobbie Shields, who has played shortstop and second base at Pasco, will compete for Florida Southern, which has nine national championships.
DADE CITY - Robbie Shields wants to play for a champion.
Trying to win a title drives the Pasco middle infielder. The 6-foot-1 senior still has one more season to make it work with the Pirates.
On Monday, he extended the chance of making it happen on the college level, signing a letter of intent with Florida Southern as family and friends looked on at Pasco.
Shields has plenty of support.
"The program has been good for a long time," Pasco coach Rick Giles said. "I thought it was a good choice."
Shields was a 2005 Times first-team all-county selection, returning from a back injury that tied him to the bench about six months.
Doctors determined playing would not inflict further damage, so Shields returned at the midway point of his junior season.
He was an integral part of the Pirates batting a county-best .492.
Shields' strong play for the Pirates, then with summer and fall teams, drew plenty of scholarship interest from colleges.
His final three choices of Florida Southern, Saint Leo and the University of Tampa made sense. Each school was close to home and had a strong baseball tradition.
But Shields couldn't ignore interest from the Mocs, who won their ninth national title last season under NCAA Division II coach of the year Pete Meyer.
"They won a national championship last year," Shields said. "It's pretty tough to turn a championship team down."
Shieds expects to stay in the infield for his senior season and when he moves on to college. He said he'll play second base for Florida Southern his freshman year. Then he believes he could be moved to shortstop.
He has played both positions at Pasco.
Giles said Shields will add versatility to the Mocs' lineup, and leadership as well.
"Robbie's always been one of our key players," Giles said. "Having Robbie on the field is just like having a coach. He has that much knowledge of the game. It shows in the way he plays. He'll be a great player for Florida Southern."
Shields will receive a partial scholarship. A bargain for such a gutsy player.
"I'm enjoying the spotlight for once," Shields said. "Florida Southern's the best place for me."
--Contact Izzy Gould at 813 909-4612 or igould@sptimes.com